Life For Rent
by evenstar101
Summary: Severus Snape has spent most of his life doing other people's bidding. Just when he thinks his life can be his own he is forced to choose between the magical world he loves or a loveless marriage imposed by a law. Will his life ever be his own to live?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own, JK Rowling does

A/N: This fic is a marriage law story that I have already posted, but am determined to revised and edit. Hope you enjoy.

Life for Rent

"Ooh, this is making my blood boil!" Hermione Granger stated furiously slamming the Ministry missive down on the table, yelling at no one, for she was home alone.

"A marriage law? This is absolutely ridiculous. Has there really been that many squibs being born? I feel like I went to sleep and woke up in Imperial China!"

Hermione was beyond livid. The Ministry had been hinting for the past two years that they were going to put a marriage law into effect. She never actually believed it would happen though, and now she felt as if someone had pulled the rug from underneath her. She moderately understood why Pure-bloods were being discouraged from marrying because they did pop out a lot of inbred squibs with birth defects, but she didn't understand why Muggle-borns weren't allowed to marry other Muggle-borns, or Muggles. A squib wouldn't exactly be a big deal in a family familiar with the Muggle world, would it? And the demands, what ludicrous demands! Three months from the date of the letter to find a mate or the Ministry would do it for you, ugh! And Ministry sanctioned punishments and bonuses? Any child born to a Ministry approved couple would go to Hogwarts for free but the rest would have to pay? That was eerily too close to China's reaction to overpopulation and Hermione was disgusted. This was not an overpopulation problem, it was an _under population_ problem and the Ministry was going about this all wrong. The fees one would have to pay for not following the law were exorbitant, and Hermione knew that she would never be able to pay them. Sure, the wizarding population had gone down significantly since the war, but, this?

None of it would have mattered to Hermione at all really if it wasn't for one teeny tiny, insignificant little detail. Her boyfriend was a Muggle. His name was David Bernard and he was amazing. Hermione had met him after the war while spending some time with her parents as a Muggle in Australia. She had taken a few classes at a University in Sydney and had met him in an elective literature course. He was from England, completing a year abroad, and was getting his teaching credentials for high school level English. He was fun, intelligent, charming, and a wonderful diversion from the pain of all the losses after the war. She needed to get away from magic, she needed to get over losing Ron to Pansy Parkinson only a month after their first kiss, and David suited all of her needs.

Toward the year end when David was preparing to return to England, Hermione decided to tell him that she was a witch. She was beginning to miss her friends in the magical world terribly, her parents were planning on returning to reopen their dental practice, and Hermione wanted to find a job in the magical world. David had taken the whole escapade with good grace and enjoyed watching Hermione do magic. He had no problems keeping the secret in Australia but it would be harder in England because he wanted Hermione to meet his family and they were going to have to be careful. Now, with the Marriage Law on top of her, she was either going to have to leave the magical world altogether, or leave David. Or, she would come up with another plan. But as to what she had no idea.

Severus Snape read the same Ministry missive as Hermione had with an equal amount of disgust. All wizards under the age of sixty were required to follow the law. Severus cursed the wizarding blood that coursed through his veins for the first time, well, ever. It was the wizarding blood that allowed people with magical abilities to live well into their hundreds which meant that he was still a relatively young man by their standards. At forty-one he had no excuse for backing out.

Severus had changed considerably since the war. He was thoroughly convinced that he was not going to survive the it, believing that his treachery to Lord Voldemort would not go undiscovered. Somehow it had, and it was that damned snake that had almost won in the end. She had bit him right in the jugular, but he was expecting it and was prepared with the anti-venom and blood replenishing potions that he would need to get through. It was imperative that he not die unless he was absolutely sure that Potter had received his messages and was able to defeat the Dark Lord. He had managed to pass on the messages but he owed it to Dumbledore and to Lily Potter to make sure that he succeeded. After that, he would have welcomed death but, alas, death wanted nothing to do with him anymore. He had survived miraculously and was quite well.

The thoughts of Lily, Dumbledore, and Voldemort reopened old wounds that hurt in ways Nagini's snake bites never would. They were the people who owned him. Lily held his heart in her delicate hands from the day he met her in the park near their childhood homes over thirty years ago. He belonged to her, but she belonged to someone else, and was now gone from this world. And then there was Dumbledore, his mentor, his savior, and his friend. But he too had a use for him, help Harry defeat Voldemort. Dumbledore had allowed Severus to hold onto Lily's memory only to ensure that he protected her son from Voldemort. But now Dumbledore was gone, by his own hand, a sin for which Severus would never properly atone. And Voldemort, Severus was Voldemort's hired hand. He was a spy for two of the most influential wizards in history, his heart belonged to a woman long dead, and now he was possibly going to have to either leave the wizarding world, or sacrifice his freedom to attach himself to some ungrateful wench who he would probably never love and she him? He was beginning to feel that everyone had a lease on his life, but nothing was his own.

Severus shoved the letter from the Ministry aside and turned to his order list. After leaving Hogwarts Severus began a private lab out of his home in Spinner's End. Thanks to Harry's testimony and the embarrassing exhibition of his memories at the Ministry hearings Severus was fully exonerated. The Board of Governors was willing to give him his job back at the school but he declined opting for some solitude. Despite his greasy git exterior he had enjoyed teaching. He loved seeing the lights turn on in the otherwise dim student's eyes as they finally grasped a topic they had been studying fruitlessly for ages. It was much more satisfying to see that light of realization in an average student than it was to teach fact regurgitating automatons like Hermione Granger. He had never really gotten her to think outside of her texts and that, in his opinion, was one of his greatest failures as a teacher. She wasn't the only know it all that had passed through his classroom but he had always managed to stump them. Her greatest moments occurred outside his potions lab, during her year on the run, and he wished he could have seen her struggle in his own sick and sadistic way.

Pushing those unexpected and unwelcome thoughts of Granger aside he refocused on his order list once again. He made potions for a select group of private clients. His business was very good but he only took certain jobs so that he could maintain the work load alone. He made Veritaserum for the Ministry and several potions that were resold at apothecaries, but his most difficult potion was Wolfsbane. He sold it for a pittance in honor of the late Remus Lupin. Lupin was not exactly a friend of Severus's, mostly because of his association with James Potter but he had been a good man, and Severus made and sold Wolfsbane to werewolves who, like Lupin, wanted to function more normally in society. It was one small way for him to do penance for his past sins. In the end, it was just another way someone else had taken over a bit of his life. He marveled that there were any pieces of his life to rent out to anyone else.

He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to get out of his continued existence and his new career, but he knew he wanted it to be in the wizarding world and he did not want to flee his country for a stupid marriage law. He didn't have enough left in him to make that kind of sacrifice. Prioritizing the list of orders in front of him, Severus silently hoped that somehow this would all just go away, and he could go back to moving on with his life.

**A/N: This is my first ever SS/HG fic. It is has been up here for awhile, but since it was one of my first stories it lacks a lot in the editing department so my goal is go through and give it a good looking over. I had a beta for some parts, but still… So if you are coming across this story for the first time, hope you enjoy! And drop a review, those never get old no matter how long the story has been up!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling

Life For Rent

Chapter 2

Severus stared in disbelief at the second Ministry missive he had received that week. 'How To Make Yourself Appear More Attractive to the Opposite Sex' was emblazoned across the top of the pamphlet in bright gold letters. _As if there is any hope that this pamphlet has enough advice to transform this hook nosed, greasy haired, snaggle toothed, ex professor into a desirable man_, Snape thought sarcastically. Despite himself, Severus perused the brochure carefully. Apparently there was something he could do about his teeth and hair. The pamphlet actually contained contact information for wizard beauticians and a few spells for the daring bachelor.

Severus realized that he was a fairly unattractive man. There had been some women in the past who found his mystery and sarcasm somewhat appealing but he had personally, never seen the point. The uglier he was the more likely his students would fear him. With the prospect of being shackled to a woman he didn't love or leaving the home he did, in front of him he was beginning to think that some beautification might help his prospects if he chose the former. Ashamed that he was even considering it he thrust the pamphlet aside and arose from his desk.

Severus left his library and walked down the hall pausing in front of a gilded mirror hanging on the wall. He carefully examined his face. His teeth were crooked and a little yellow and he did need a haircut. The steam from his cauldrons left it perpetually greasy and limp. If he created a shampoo that resisted steam and kept hair glossy and clean he could make a fortune. He made a mental note to seriously consider that prospect later. The scars from Nagini's snake bites were low on his throat and stretched across his collarbone. They were no longer red, raw, and painful but they were very pink against his pale skin. They were decidedly unattractive but they were as healed as they were ever going to get. No, there was nothing he could do about his nose without plastic surgery or some serious glamour charms, but he wasn't going to stoop that low. Marriage law, or not, it _was_ a good idea to start taking some care of his appearance. He didn't want to stay holed up in his house forever. The Malfoy's had been bombarding him with invitations to socialize relentlessly since the war was over but it was not until very recently that he actually wanted to go out. He had on occasion accepted an invitation here and there to squelch any rumors that he was lying dead in his home being eaten by dogs, but it was always with very little enthusiasm.

Things were starting to feel different. Turning away from his reflection and returning to the desk in his library, he reached over and picked up the pamphlet again. Maybe he would try some of those spells.

*************************************************************************************

Hermione sighed and stared out the window of her second floor office in Diagon Alley. Ever since her return from Australia two years ago she had been employed as a book buyer for Flourish and Blotts. She really enjoyed her job because books, after all, were among her favorite things in the world. She did have some ambitions to take on an apprenticeship in potions, or transfiguration and earn her teaching credentials but for the meantime she was content. For a brief moment she considered joining Harry at the ministry but then thought better of it. She was more than thrilled to back in the magical world but she still wasn't ready to add any extra drama to her life, and the life of an auror was very dramatic. No, she was going to have to find another way to do some good in the world, when she was ready.

The biggest advantage to being a book buyer was that it was a job David could understand. They never would have been able to talk about work at all if she was working in a potions lab or doing a transfiguration apprenticeship. He would not have been able to relate to any of it, but he did enjoy talking to Hermione about books being a literature major himself. He was fascinated by how many more books the wizarding world opened him to. He was also surprised to learn that a lot of the classics he loved were popular among wizards as well. Beyond that though, their conversations were more focused on what David did. His teaching was something Hermione could relate to so that was all they really focused on. Hermione was slightly disappointed when David was less than supportive when she decided to sit the NEWTs the year before. She didn't have to, the ministry had awarded her, Ron, and Harry full qualifications but it was unlike her to just accept a certification she did not earn. David had avoided Hermione while she practiced wand movements and incantations, studied runes and arithmancy, and brewed practice potions. That was the lowest point of their time together and Hermione was worried that when she did decide to branch away from Flourish and Blotts it might cause strain on their relationship. David understood her magic, but not her desire to pursue a magical career. He just didn't see the purpose.

Hermione had spent the whole week poring over the information the Ministry had provided regarding the marriage law. There were very few options around it. If she stayed with David and had a magical child she could not imagine having enough money to put him or her through school. She had not mentioned the possibility of marriage and children to David. If they did have a magical child she wasn't sure he would want to allow the child to be raised in the magical world. Hermione knew that if she had a magical child she would most definitely want to raise him or her in the magical realm. She briefly considered finding some wizard in a similar situation and entering a marriage of convenience but that idea held little appeal. The marriage would have to be consummated and it was not her modus operandi to sleep with more than one man at once.

The final option before her was to end things with David and allow the ministry to find her a match so she could remain in the wizarding world. That was the most unappealing of the lot. Hermione knew she needed to talk to David about all this. If he was considering marriage he had not brought it up. They had been together a long time and they were having fun but Hermione had not really considered marriage herself until the Marriage Law was enforced. Hermione was torn. She knew deep down that David would want her to give up her wand and leave the magical world but she just didn't think she could do it. Hell, she didn't even know if they would realistically last that long coming from such different worlds. _Harry is so lucky that his is not a pureblood, _Hermione thought sadly, _at least he can stay with Ginny. _Even Ron was going to be able to avoid the law. He had joined a French Quidditch team and had taken up residence in France with Pansy, so he would be unaffected as long as he remained out of the country.

She was going to have to tell David about the law. In eleven weeks the ministry was going to match her with someone. The only question was, should she tell him right away? Or, should she enjoy those last eleven weeks and tell him later? The one thing she knew for sure was that leaving England and magic for the rest of her life were not options.

*************************************************************************************

A/N: Okay another short chapter and I apologize there is no dialogue but I want to get the background details out of the way. There will be more interaction with more people starting in the next chapter, I promise. What do you think though? Should Hermione tell David right away? Or should she wait? The chapters will start to get a little longer from here on out and I hope you will stick with me.

Thanks to all the reviewers who encouraged me to continue with this story. It is really inspiring! I do need a beta for this story, I tend to overlook a lot of missing words etc. and it is just nice to have someone else read your stuff before you thrust it upon innocent readers. Thanks again for reading and I promise the story will start to pick up!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I am not making a dime off of this.

**A/N: This chapter is a reposted version of one I put up earlier today. It has been doctored by my lovely new beta whoopsydaisy, if you have already read it the plot is not affected but it is a little more clear. **

Life For Rent

Chapter 3

Hermione sat at David's kitchen table pushing the food around her dinner plate in circles. David was telling her about his day but she was only half listening. She had spent the last few weeks contemplating what she was going to do about her relationship with him. There was only eight weeks left before the Ministry would contact her so they could find her a match using their own matchmaking methods. Hermione decided the best approach would be to explain the situation to David. If he agreed they could make things work for any magical children they might have then that would be great. If not, well she would cross that bridge when she got there. Unfortunately, she couldn't put it off any longer. It wasn't fair to either of them. So while he was rambling on about how one of his student's wrote an essay explaining that Shakespeare was responsible for the murder of Ben Jonson and blah, blah, blah, Hermione was thinking about the London Bridge trying to decide if she would rather cross it, or just jump off halfway through.

"Hermione. Hermione!" Hermione snapped her head up at David's raised voice.

"Are you alright? You haven't eaten a thing and I know you aren't listening to me." He said matter-of-factly.

Hermione dropped her fork on her plate and pushed it away from her. _Might as well get it over with, _she thought, just_ rip it off like a band aid._

"David we really need to talk about us and our future." She blurted. David looked at her dumbstruck.

"Our future? I thought things were good between us. I know we had our rough patches with me finding out you were a witch, but…" David trailed off at the look on her face. This was bigger than that and he could tell.

"David, the Ministry of Magic has passed a marriage act that is making it incredibly difficult for all witches and wizards. You see, the magical population in Britain has been steadily declining and with two wars in twenty years it has seen a sharp drop. Pureblooded wizards are tending to give birth to squibs, which is essentially a genetic defect caused by a little too much inbreeding. Therefore Purebloods are being strongly encouraged to marry people with less than pure blood, just as muggle-borns, such as me, are being encouraged to marry wizards who are not in order to increase the likelihood that their children will be magical." Hermione paused so David could absorb what she had just said. She had told him enough about magical bloodlines for him to understand, at least vaguely, what she was trying to say.

"So, what are trying to say? What is the Ministry going to do if you don't marry a wizard?" David asked. He didn't even want to talk marriage with her yet, let alone in these circumstances, and he certainly wasn't ready to consider children. He was a teacher; he got enough of them at school already. But that didn't mean he was ready to lose Hermione.

"Basically what they are doing is charging exorbitant tuition fees to students who are born in non-Ministry approved partnerships to attend Hogwarts. They are also implementing several other deterrents and employing reward systems for those who follow the new law. For example, children born in approved relationships will go to Hogwarts for free. There are other things as well, but that is the gist." Hermione was beginning to get fidgety. They were getting closer to the meat of the discussion and she wasn't sure David was ready for it.

"Well, I don't understand what that has to do with us just yet." David actually thought he might know but he wasn't ready to admit it just in case he was wrong.

"If we were to stay together and have children there is a good chance that one or all of them would be magical. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would want to raise them in the magical world, and it would be very expensive." Okay, so the facts were out. _Good Hermione, keep it objective, keep feelings out of it._

"What about me though? I never even said I wanted children, even if I do, I'm not sure I want to raise them in a magical world." David was right; he had seen where this conversation was going. He was perfectly happy with Hermione. His family knew she was a book buyer but they thought she was a muggle book buyer. Having kids in a magical world would be impossible for him. Not thinking about a family was one way he was able to stay with Hermione without worrying about her secret being exposed to his family.

"I was afraid of that, and I understand. It's just that I can't give up my magic and if I had a magical child I would definitely want them raised in the magical world. It is just too important to me. It is the only place I have ever really fit in." Hermione said feeling the beginning of break up despair creep into her gut.

David stood quickly and slammed his chair against the table. "What the fuck Hermione! What happens to you if you don't obey the law? You're willing to give up what we have for it?"

Hermione stood up too, getting angry as well.

"If I don't submit my marriage plans they will find me a husband they believe will be best suited for me if I want to remain in the magical world. Since I am twenty-one I am not exempt from the law. And as far as what we have I am glad to know where you stand on the children issue. I love you very much but I have to give up half of my life and who I am to be with you. I have not regretted it so far, but I would regret it if I had to give it up entirely. I won't be a book buyer forever. I would like to teach at Hogwarts and I want kids, and I want those kids to go there and I don't want to lie to my mother-in-law about what I do!" Hermione had begun pacing across the kitchen as she ranted on.

"I need to know what you want out of this relationship." She finished sitting back in her chair and putting her head in her hands.

"I'm not ready to make that kind of commitment, especially considering our _special _circumstances." David said quickly, a little too quickly for Hermione's taste. "I'm sorry, but I just can't."

Hermione got up again and started making a pile of her things that had gathered there over the last two years. Tears filled her eyes as she shrunk pieces of their life together so she could carry them all in one bag. Three years with this person she loved was all over because of one stupid marriage law. But she had to make a choice and her time was running out.

"So it's over then? Just like that? You are choosing magic." David heaved himself into a chair. He wasn't ready to commit but it was a blow seeing Hermione pack up gather all of the things she had strewed about. He did love her. She was beautiful and intelligent and so full of life and promise, but he couldn't see himself being associated with the magical world forever, or having kids anytime soon.

"Yes I'm choosing magic. It's in my blood. It's who I am and it will always be there even when you aren't." Hermione snapped. Then after a paused she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed wearily. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It's just you can't assume this choice was easy for me."

David sighed in resignation. It was over with Hermione. "Well what's going to happen? Do you have someone else waiting to marry you in case I decided not to?"

"No, David, of course not. But if I can't be with you I really don't care who I'm with right now. The ministry has magical methods of finding the best match for me. They have ways of playing matchmaker that prevent incompatible couples from being forced together, so whoever I end up with will probably be someone I can at least get along with." She said more to convince herself than to convince him.

"So, you aren't even going to try to find someone on your own? That's really screwed up Hermione. I can't believe you would want to stay in a world that would put you through that."

"It doesn't even matter. Even if the marriage law didn't exist we wouldn't work out because we are from two different worlds and we want different things. It's just a good thing we had this catalyst to see that." Hermione dashed away the tears pouring out of her eyes quickly. "It's been great David, but this is good bye."

Hermione gave him a quick hug and picked up her bag. Before he could say or do anything she apparated herself into her own bedroom at her parent's house. Once there, she flopped on the bed and cried herself to sleep, something she hadn't done since Ron abandoned her and Harry while they were hunting for Horcruxes. Something had broken in her that day, and something else entirely had broken in her when she lost David. Her life was officially not her own anymore. She would owl the Ministry and set up an appointment so they could evaluate her for her best matches. If she couldn't be with David she didn't care who she ended up with. She would learn to live with it later when the loss didn't hurt so much anymore.

*************************************************************************************

Severus Snape had lost his damn mind. He had allowed Narcissa Malfoy to fix his botched attempts to straighten his teeth and cut his hair. He agreed that he had improved from relatively unattractive to somewhat decent but that was not what led him to believe he was going insane. No, the reason Severus Snape would willingly allow someone to put him in St. Mungos with a case of addled brains because he had agreed to go out on not one, not two, but three blind dates all set up by Lucius and Narcissa.

The first two women were purebloods with lots of old money that the Malfoy's thought he would actually like. Lucius was convinced that their money would attract him while Narcissa thought that he would be seduced by their perfectly coiffed hair, slim bodies, and designer clothes. The wrapping never really appealed to Severus. He was more likely to appreciate the gift underneath; i.e. the brain. Neither of those first two women had one and he was more than willing to pass.

The third date, the one he was currently on was with the none other than Rita Skeeter. He never had been able to stand that woman. She was shrewd, yes that was good, cunning, good as well, but she was also a right nasty bitch that was eyeing him like he was some sort of piece of meat. She had spent the whole of the evening chewing on the end of her quick quotes quill ready to jot down anything he might possibly say that would be juicy news. He had resolutely spent the evening staring her down in stony silence. That didn't stop the relentless stream of questions.

"So, Severus how has your relationship with Harry Potter changed now that he knows how close you were to his mother?" She asked unabashed. She was either a moronic imbecile or she had no, er no, no nothing else, she was just an imbecile.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." He replied icily. The truth was that he and Harry had exchanged a few letters and were slowly getting on good terms. Harry had explained via post that although he thoroughly expected him to reject his requests of information on his mother that Severus was the only person still alive who really knew her. He had agreed that yes, he did have useful information about her that Harry would like to know but it was taking time. Severus was still in love with Lily and he was decidedly uncomfortable revealing more of that part of himself than he already had. Of course he wasn't going to breathe a word of that to the bimbo in front of him. He was going to kill Narcissa.

Rita was undeterred. "Oh Severus, why so tense? We are supposed to be getting to know one another aren't we?"

"Why are you here? You aren't interested in being with me any more than I am with you." Severus sneered at her. "Wait, don't answer that. I know why you are here. You want an exclusive. Well, here is an exclusive for you. Not a chance. But since you like exclusives so much, I will leave you exclusively with the check."

With that he left a stunned Rita Skeeter staring after him as he exited the restaurant and apparated right on the spot. He would probably read about that in the Prophet and Witch Weekly. But he didn't care. He appeared right in front of the Malfoy Manor and banged on the door. One of the house-elves opened the door and Severus brushed right past ignoring him heading straight to the parlor where Narcissa would undoubtedly be.

He walked into the room to see Narcissa and Lucius locked in a passionate embrace but he really did not care what he was interrupting.

"What on earth were you thinking setting me up with that harridan?" Severus demanded as he helped himself to some of Lucius's finest brandy from the mini-bar.

Narcissa and Lucius both jumped around at his voice. Straightening her robes, Narcissa looked at her friend indignantly. "She is an unpleasant woman, you are an unpleasant man. I thought it might work out."

Lucius let out a loud chuckle. Severus stared at Narcissa for a moment before finally letting laughter escape from his lips as well. Narcissa was teasing him. The whole evening had been a set up for his friends' amusement. It was a good one. Severus wasn't angry and Narcissa knew from the get go that it would never work out. He really did need to get out more. But dating was not his idea of fun.

"Seriously though Sev, what are you going to do? You only have eight weeks left before the ministry takes action." Narcissa said patting him on the hand.

Lucius looked on with concern. Despite the rough patch during the war when Severus was favored over Lucius by Voldemort, Lucius had always been somewhat of a big brother to him. Lucius was many things sinister but he was a devoted family man and he did _care_ about people. He wanted Severus to enjoy the same familial comforts he did.

"What about Draco, Lucius? Did he make an offer to Cho Chang? They have been together for awhile and I believe she is a half-blood, and a Ravenclaw so you know their kids will at least be intelligent." Severus said trying to divert the attention away from him.

"Yes he did make her an offer. They will be having an engagement party in month's time, just as soon as they return from Asia." Draco and Cho were off touring Asia and visiting some of her relatives. "But don't try to change the subject. What are you going to do?" Lucius said.

"Well, I might never be as lucky as Draco. I am a wholly unpleasant person to be around and there is no point in trying to seek out someone I am compatible with on my own. The matchmaking process the Ministry undertakes is very thorough and efficient. I will set up an appointment and hope for the best. I imagine that it will be difficult but with luck I will end up with someone who is just as uninterested in being married and only doing it to be allowed to stay in England and the magical world." Severus said resignedly. There was little point in delaying the inevitable. No one would ever be able to replace Lily in his opinion so he might as well get used to the idea of merely tolerating someone else. As long as that someone wasn't Delores Umbridge or Rita Skeeter, he could probably survive, though it would be nice to avoid Sybill Trelawney as well. Any of those women would surely drive him to an early grave and he was pretty convinced he harbored zero latent attraction for any of them. Unfortunately for Severus, attraction was indeed necessary for an match to be successful.

"That just sounds so terribly sad Severus." Narcissa said refilling her glass.

Severus stared at his glass for a moment swirling the liquid around inside of it. After a minute or so had passed he downed it in one shot and stood up. "Such is life Narcissa. I have learned to live with it. I will trespass on your hospitality no longer. Good evening to you both." Severus said regally bowing himself out. He apparated once more for the evening, this time directly into the living room of Spinner's End.

Severus walked around the house for a short while examining it. The house was very old and kind of small. Every square inch of the room was covered in books as was the library, his study, and his bedroom. Whoever he ended up with would probably want to remodel the old house. It was clean but dingy and he couldn't imagine any witch being happy there. His books however, were not going anywhere. He would rather build an addition for them than see a single volume leave his property. He would just have to make sure that his love of reading played through heavily when the Ministry evaluated him for a match.

Severus lay in bed for several hours that night racking his brain trying to picture every witch he could from around his year at Hogwarts. He couldn't remember all of them, the ones he could were either no longer alive, or had ceased being single a long time ago. It was no matter though. Severus had very little confidence that he would find true happiness and he was used to his life alone. Obeying this law was just another way of selling his soul to someone else and he was very good at that. He would give up a lot to keep his magic and to stay in his beloved England. And truth be told, when he had walked in on Narcissa and Lucius in a warm embrace after all those years together, he had felt a pang of what could only be jealousy at the fact that he had never had the opportunity to be with his true love.

************************************************************************************

A/N: Thanks to all who sent reviews to my first two chapters. This one is closer to the length of chapter that I will normally be writing. Please review and let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: JKR is not me…sigh

Life For Rent

Chapter 4

"Merlin Hermione, you look like a swamp monster from a child's nightmare." Ginny said cheerfully as she yanked back the curtains in Hermione's room. "Late night?"

Hermione threw one arm over her eyes to block out the light streaming in her window. Her head ached and she felt groggy from all the crying she had done the night before. "Ugh, Gin. What are you doing here so early? And yes, I had a late night. David and I broke up because of that stupid law."

Hermione rolled back over and buried her face in her pillow. She didn't see how there could be anymore tears in her, but somehow they began to fall again. She just wanted to go back to sleep so she wouldn't have to feel anything for a few more hours. Ginny lay down next to her and took her friend in her arms.

"I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to upset you, I was just kidding you know. You never said you were going to tell David about the law last night. I figured you would wait a while longer." Ginny said stroking Hermione's hair.

Hermione rolled back over and lay on her back looking at her ceiling. "I was going to wait but I decided it wasn't fair to either of us to drag it out. It was awful. He said that he didn't even want kids in the first place, let alone kids that might be magical."

"Wow. That's kind of harsh. I'm really sorry. I don't know what to say. I hate seeing you so heartbroken. I never really took David as the type to not want kids, I mean; he is a teacher after all." Ginny repositioned herself on the bed next to Hermione so that she too was staring at the ceiling.

"He mentioned at some point that the kids he taught satisfied his familial duty."

Ginny rolled her eyes. _Men._ She spent a moment thanking her lucky stars that Harry was a half-blood so she had no problems with her situation in life. She felt terrible for Hermione though. Being a muggle-born was hard enough without having to go through this as well. Muggle-borns had to give up so much of who they were to be successful in the magical world. It hardly seemed fair.

Hermione wiped her eyes and sat up, squinting as she looked toward the window. "I have to move on. It's a blessing in disguise really. We both wanted different things in life and it's better to find that out sooner rather than later."

"You're being awfully positive about this." Ginny commented. "If it what was me I don't think I would be so quick to see the upside of the situation."

"I really loved him Ginny, if I had stayed with him and became even more attached it would have hurt a lot more to break up than it does now." Hermione said practically. "That doesn't mean I don't want to just slip into depression right now. My practicality is just self-preservation."

"Only you could be practical at a time like this."

Hermione stood up and stretched. She put on her slippers and padded out of her room to the kitchen for some coffee. "You still haven't told me why you're here so early."

"Oh, no reason, just haven't been able to hang out with you in awhile and Harry got called in to work." She said quickly. That wasn't entirely true but she wasn't sure Hermione would be able to take her news right then.

Hermione eyed Ginny suspiciously. She was clearly lying. All the Weasley's had a signature tell, shuffling feet or wandering eyes. Ginny had both right then. Hermione was surprised that Ginny was failing at lying right then because she was usually quite adequate at it. It must have been really important for Ginny to feel nervous about lying.

"Go ahead and spit it out Gin, I'm sure I can handle it." Hermione sat down at the table with two cups of coffee. Sliding one toward Ginny, she waited patiently for her to talk.

"Well, uh, Harry and I are officially engaged. We set a date for two months from now. I want you to be my maid of honor." Ginny said.

"Well that's not surprising. We all knew you were going to be getting married eventually." Hermione replied. "Still, best wishes and all that, and I can't wait. And of course, I will be you maid of honor."

"That's not quite all."

Hermione raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"I'm pregnant." Hermione was not expecting that.

*************************************************************************************

One week after Severus' date with Rita Skeeter he had his appointment with the Ministry's newly incorporated Department of Magical Matrimony. He spent the whole day answering question after question about his life. He answered the obvious questions such as how he liked his eggs (scrambled) and coffee (black). The most embarrassing questionnaire was the one regarding his sex life. Everybody at the Ministry knew who he was, and he imagined that some sodding ex-Hufflepuff was laughing his ass off as he read up on his pitiful sexual history. He would have embezzled the truth about his sexual liaisons in the past however the quill was charmed to prevent embellishments.

Because he was not able to falsify his answers he was surprised to find out that he had no preference for hair or eye color. When he brought the quill to the paper he was fully expecting to write, red hair and green eyes as most attractive but when he looked at the answer after he had written it, it said 'no preference.' Severus had spent thirty years of his life comparing every female he saw to Lily. Maybe he had no preference because if it wasn't Lily, he just didn't care. He was surprised to learn he wanted two kids as well. If he had control of the quill, he would have written that he wanted none, but obviously some part of him really did. He had a lot to think about and he did not like it. Introspection was not a favorite pastime of his.

Severus exited his final interview cranky and tired. He really wanted a drink and to settle into a good book. The snot-nosed Hufflepuff that he was sure had been earlier laughing at his sexual profile said that his information would be compared with the information of all the witches in their database until a compatible match was found. Therefore, he had no idea how long it would take. It could be anywhere from a day to a year. A part of Severus hoped that no match would ever pop up and he would be exempt from the law. Another part of him wished he could just find out already and get on with it. He hated being in limbo. He had spent too much of his life suspended between the whims of one master or another and this whole situation felt eerily the same. He didn't like it one bit.

Severus exited the lift on the main floor of the Ministry eager to get out. He was unpleasantly surprised to see Rita Skeeter haranguing a very harassed looking Harry Potter as the boy was trying to get into a fireplace to floo out. There had been a big article in the Prophet just a few days earlier announcing Potter's wedding to the Weasley girl and no doubt Rita was trying to get details. Severus chuckled softly to himself but did not slow down as he passed. He would never tire of seeing Harry Potter uncomfortable. He didn't hate the boy anymore but that didn't mean he wasn't going to enjoy a laugh at his expense. Unfortunately, Rita Skeeter had noticed him pass and Harry disappeared in the split second she was distracted.

Severus was not so lucky as to receive the same speedy exit Potter did. In a flash Rita had stretched out an arm and latched onto his hand to stop him. Severus yanked his hand out of her grasp and rounded on her. He folded his arms across his chest and peered down at her, his black eyes sparkling malevolently. "May I help you?"

"Oh don't glare at me like that. I am not one of your students. I won't quiver in fear." She said glaring back. "I believe you owe me for dinner."

Severus rolled his eyes. He realized that what he did was petulant but he never expected it to come back and bite him the ass. The woman was relentless. He had never shown any interest in her but she had always been fascinated with him. Even when they were in school all those years ago she had been interested in him. For a brief horrifying moment, Severus had an image of the Ministry placing her as his match. He couldn't even begin to imagine trying to get along with her let alone wanting to.

"The check is in the mail." Severus replied turning around quickly but she stopped him again.

"Not so fast. There are other ways you can repay me you know. Let's go somewhere we can be more comfortable." She said softly running her hand down his arm and raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Severus cringed and backed up to the nearest floo quickly but as he made his escape he couldn't help but get in one last verbal jab. "The only way I would be more comfortable right now is if I was in a coma."

Severus stepped quickly in the floo, stating his address quietly so Rita would not hear, and disappeared. Once at home he immediately opened a bottle of firewhiskey and took a shot before he had even bothered to brush the dust of the floo of himself. He thought of Rita's crude suggestion and cringed again. Mentally he shook himself and refilled his glass. Sure, there were times when he craved the company of a woman in his bed, but truth be told he would rather pay a prostitute than hook up with her. He was going to have to find a way to exact revenge against Narcissa for her little prank.

Severus downed a third shot of firewhiskey before picking up a book on hair care potions. He had decided to seriously think about creating a shampoo that protected hair from humidity and potion fumes. Severus was researching everything hair related and had just recently received a stack of books on the subject. The books ordered them from Flourish and Blotts under a pseudonym because he didn't want anyone to know that he was reading beauty books. After flipping through one of them for a few moments he threw it back on the table and reached for the whiskey again.

Severus was thinking too much lately, and as a result he was getting drunk a little too much in order to dull his thoughts. His profession both as a teacher and a spy absolutely forbade anything more than a light indulgence, but lately alcohol had become a sweet refuge from his muddled thoughts. Severus had no idea what he wanted to do with his life beyond brewing potions and living peacefully. Severus was smart enough to know that he was experiencing survivor's guilt and still feeling regret for having to kill Dumbledore. Severus felt hollow inside and unsure what to do with himself without all the duties he had during the war sucking up all of his time and energy. The only thing he was sure of was that he was thoroughly depressed that after all his hard work during the war all he had to look forward to was creating a shampoo and marrying a stranger.

*************************************************************************************

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione were sitting around Hermione's kitchen table discussing who her possible matches could be. She had completed her Ministry questionnaires that day and resolutely refused to read her answers once they were written. She was afraid of reading things about herself that she really didn't want to know. Now that she was discussing the day with her friends she was afraid that was a bad idea.

"I can't believe you didn't want to check all your answers." Harry said looking through her pile of pamphlets on how the Ministry actually made its matches. "I mean, it is so unlike you. In school we couldn't tear you away from the examination papers for days after you took them."

"I know, but this is different. I regret it now though, I'll tell you that much. It's just that I answered every question with David in mind. I obviously won't be set up with him, but, I don't know. I'm just not myself so I didn't look. It doesn't even make sense to me." Hermione picked at the slice of pizza before her. She was not crying herself to sleep every night anymore but she really did miss her ex-boyfriend. He was always on her mind and a dull ache had settled deep in the pit of her stomach.

"Maybe they won't be able to find a match for me. If they don't then I won't have to worry about it. When I think about possibly being matched with someone like Crabbe or Goyle, I think it might be worth it to just leave the magical world."

Ginny laughed and rubbed her still flat belly, a habit she had picked up immediately after discovering she was pregnant. Hermione was shocked when she heard the news, and for a moment it had made her feel worse about the whole David thing, but in the end Hermione had gushed over the news with her friend. She didn't have the heart to rain on Ginny's parade.

"I really hope that doesn't happen to you, but you said yourself that the Ministry guarantees they will match you with someone you will get along with. I know it's not much of a bright side but at least you have that." Harry said. He felt terrible for his friend. He still thought that if his wanker of a best friend hadn't run off with Pansy he could be saving Hermione from all this misery. But then again, Harry suspected they would have been miserable with each other so it wouldn't do much good. Ron always had a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and Hermione was just way too intelligent for him.

Ginny reached for another slice of pizza and took a large bite. Her appetite would come and go and at that particular evening it was in full swing. So far she was fortunate enough to avoid morning sickness. "How long did they say the matchmaking process would take?"

"However long it takes to do the spells matching my information with all the information of the bachelors. Theoretically it could take ages before one works." Hermione picked up the pamphlet explaining the process. They were using runes and arithmancy among other things to determine the matches. They were only matching people that had more than ninety-five percent compatibility and that seemed a little unlikely to Hermione. Though the longer it took the longer she had to get over David so she wasn't too fussed about it. She was not ready to pretend to be happy about being with someone else.

"I don't think it's going to take very long." Said Harry pointing, for just then there was a tapping on the kitchen window. A Ministry owl was beating on it with its beak, a large scroll tied to its leg.

Hermione jumped up to open the window her heart racing. She had only finished her interviews a few hours ago. Maybe there was a mistake and they needed her to come back. Surely there couldn't be a match already.

With trembling fingers Hermione untied the scroll from the owl's legs and fed him a treat. The owl hooted dolefully and flew out the way it had come. Hermione's hands were shaking so badly she couldn't even open the scroll. The wax seal holding it closed had the stamp of the Department of Magical Matrimony on it.

"Here you guys open it." Hermione said throwing the scroll to Harry and flopping back down in her chair. She felt like she might start hyperventilating she was so nervous.

Harry opened the seal and unrolled the scroll. He laid it flat on the table so that Ginny could read it with him. "Dear Ms. Hermione Granger," Harry read, "It is the pleasure of the Department of Magical Matrimony to inform you that have been successfully matched. Enclosed you will find a sheet with the name and contact information of your match. You are required to send notice of your acceptance to the Ministry within forty-eight hours and to make contact with your match within the same amount of time. Once again, congratulations on your match and best wishes for your future. Sincerely, blah, blah, blah," Harry said as he lifted the top page of parchment to reveal the one underneath.

Once Harry revealed the second page Ginny let out an audible gasp. Hermione's head snapped up to look at them. Ginny had her hand over her mouth and her eyes were wide as she stared at the parchment. Harry was shaking his head from side to side mumbling 'no way, not possible,' under his breath.

"What? Who is it?" Unable to bear the suspense any longer Hermione snatched the paper from under Harry's nose. She read the name once, twice, and then a third time just to be sure.

"No fucking way."

*************************************************************************************

Severus had spent a busy Tuesday visiting with potential new clients. The upside of brewing potions for a living was that he rarely had to deal with the public. The downside of being good at it, he was beginning to realize, was that demand was getting harder and harder to keep up with on his own. He had not had much of an opportunity to think about the marriage law for the past week because he was so busy and he was grateful for that. Deciding to put off drawing up contracts for his new clients until the next day, Severus settled into his favorite chair with a muggle novel.

Severus thoroughly enjoyed reading any type of book, but when he wanted to relax he tended to go after muggle books. Reading muggle fiction was his equivalent to fantasy. There was good magical fiction out there but it was rare and Severus didn't really relax when he read magical texts because he was always trying to pick them apart looking for inaccuracies. Muggle novels were his guilty pleasure. As were muggle movies. He had a television in his bedroom hidden in a cabinet. He wondered what his future bride would think of that.

Just as Severus had become engrossed in his book an owl came swooping through the open window landing on his arm knocking the book out of his hand. Cursing the owl he shook it off of his arm and fished through the book trying to find the page he had lost. The owl was a standard barn owl and was probably carrying an order from a client so Severus ignored its hooting for the moment. As soon as he found the correct page he glanced at the scroll tied to the owl's leg. He dropped his book again after he saw the Ministry stamp in the wax seal.

Severus quickly detached the scroll and the owl nipped his finger forcefully before flying back out the window. Severus wasted no time in breaking the seal and reading the first page of the scroll. Expecting to see his match's name on the first page he was unpleasantly surprised to see it wasn't there. His courage was beginning to falter. _Pull yourself together, you idiot, you have faced far worse than a woman's name on a piece of parchment, _he scolded himself. Severus held his breath as he moved the first sheet of parchment away from the second and read the name. Letting out his breath in a whoosh Severus fell back into his chair. Hermione Jean Granger. One of his _students, _one of his most annoying students, one third of the Potter trio was his best possible match.

Severus stared at the page before him for another minute before speaking aloud in the empty room.

"No fucking way."

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Let's all give a warm round of applause to whoopsydaisy who is very adept at catching all my mistakes and providing helpful suggestions to make this story better. **

**I would also like to thank my reviewers, you make me smile! I love your thoughts and opinions and since I am still new to creative writing it is always helpful if you find mistakes and plot holes. But if you do be nice about it because my beta and I are doing our best to make sure that does not happen. And thanks to all of you who are reading. Please keep on reading and reviewing!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns a lot of crap I would imagine, with all the money she has rolling in. It's probably a good thing she doesn't get royalties from all the fan fics. Not enough banks in the world could handle that cash flow.

Life For Rent

Chapter 5

"There is no fucking way." Hermione repeated. "Snape? I am compatible with Snape?"

"Compatible, and at some point you must have found him attractive because according to these," Ginny waved a hand over the pamphlets, "you wouldn't have matched so well if you didn't."

Hermione felt her cheeks redden. Of course when she was in school she harbored a very secret crush on the elusive potions master but only for a short while. He was brilliant and mysterious and was the only teacher who really challenged her. But it had been fleeting, and Hermione firmly believed at the time that most of the girls in school had some strange romantic notion regarding the professor at one point or another. All the girls always talked about him anyway.

"Oh, Hermione, don't tell me you ever found the greasy git attractive." Harry said making a gagging face.

Hermione blushed even deeper, but Ginny jumped to her rescue.

"Harry you wouldn't understand, but he had a sort of strange appeal. Sure he's not conventionally attractive but his mystique is definitely sexy, plus his long, skilled fingers –" Ginny continued to talk in muffled tones as Harry clamped a hand over her mouth.

"I don't need to hear anymore from you. This is just really strange. You haven't seen him in years and when you were around each other on a regular basis he wasn't exactly friendly. How do you see yourselves getting along?" Harry asked seriously, eyeing Hermione with concern.

Hermione stared at the letter in front of her, eyebrows almost meeting in the middle because her brow was furrowed so tightly in thought. Hermione thought back to her school years and tried to remember everything that involved Snape.

She remembered the time he told her he hadn't noticed any difference when her teeth had been cursed to grow and grow, she couldn't even begin to count the times he had called her an insufferable know-it-all, then again who hadn't at one point or another. But she had always defended him, and had always doubted that he was truly loyal to Voldemort. She'd had a private moment of self-satisfaction when she learned that she had been right all those years.

Even though she could not recall any time he had complimented her or been anything more than his usual snarky self she still respected him immensely. Since the war she had heard through Harry that he was brewing potions for private clients but beyond that she had only thought about him when Harry wanted to talk about his mother. He would inevitably come up in those conversations every time. Hermione came to the realization that since they were matched, they obviously had more in common than she might have ever known otherwise. That would be a good foundation to start with. They both would have a lot animosity to work past, and unfortunately her heart wasn't quite available to give just yet. She had to admit, however, that she was intrigued as to why the ministry thought they would be a good match, and very curious as to how this might turn out.

"You know, Harry, I think this is going to be alright. He may have been a lot of things nasty to me over the years, but he is still a hero and I respect him immensely. It's going to be difficult at first, I'm sure but I am going to keep an open mind. If anything, I am fascinated enough by him to want to get to know him. Who isn't at least a little bit curious about the mysterious Severus Snape?" Hermione said staring off into space.

Harry and Ginny both looked at her their mouths agape. After a beat, Ginny spoke. "So you are actually going to go through with this?"

Hermione studied the paper in front of her once more, looking at the name over and over again. _Severus Tobias Snape._ Hermione still could not really believe it.

"Yeah Hermione," Harry said, "you still have a chance to flee the country, or leave the magical world and beg David to take you back."

Hermione felt a sharp pang in her heart at the mention of begging David to take her back. The wounds from that relationship's end were still very fresh and would be for a long time. That would make things difficult with Professor Snape, _no Hermione, its Snape, no-not even that, his name is Severus, _she chastised herself, but as far as she knew his heart could belong to someone else as well. Possibly even Lily still. And then Hermione thought about leaving the magical world or fleeing England. She broke up with David over magic and she was completely unwilling to leave her friends and family behind by fleeing. No, she decided, even a snarky old potions professor wouldn't stand in her way.

"No, Harry. I'm going to do this. We were meant to be together apparently. I just have to figure out _how_ to be with him. I guess the first thing to do is respond." Hermione pulled a blank piece of parchment and a quill out of a kitchen drawer and settled back in her chair. She sucked on the end of the quill as she stared at the parchment. Her stomach was tied up in knots at the thought of meeting him again. Her mind was reeling with all the possible outcomes of their first meeting, and her heart was breaking with the realization that as soon as she sent the letter she was about to write, any chances she might have had of seeing David again would irrevocably be destroyed.

Ginny came around the table and sat beside Hermione, putting her arm around her. "Whatever happens we will be here to support you."

Harry stood on Hermione's other side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Definitely. Now what are you going to write?"

"I don't know, I don't even know what to call him." She replied honestly looking up at Harry. Well, maybe now it would be easier for Harry to get information from Snape about his mother. One thing was for sure, Snape was going to have to learn how to tolerate the presence of Harry Potter in his life because he was and would always be Hermione's best friend.

Finally Hermione put the quill to the paper. "Should I use his first name? Or just initials?" Both Harry and Ginny shrugged, unsure. She was going to be simple and direct and courageously use his first name.

_Dear Severus,_

_I received your information from the Department of Magical Matrimony. I understand that our circumstances are rather unusual, but I would like to meet with you to discuss our options. _

_If you agree, please send notification of the time and date you would prefer to meet and I will arrange a location. _

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

Ginny peered over Hermione's shoulder as she wrote the letter. "That's good Hermione, but why do you want to choose the location?"

"I want it to be public that way you two can be there to give my moral support. Of course, he can't know you're there. I would feel much better if I knew I wasn't going into this alone. I have never been so nervous about anything in my life. Even the war pales in comparison right now." Hermione called her owl, Vento, down from his post by her back door and attached the letter to his leg. She stroked the tawny owl's head for a moment, instructing him not to leave without a response.

Once he was out the door Hermione let out a great sigh. "Well, that's that. Now I just have to wait and see what happens."

"I still can't picture you two together. He doesn't seem like the romantic type." Harry said helping himself to some more pizza, which was stone cold at that point. Warming it with his wand he continued to talk absentmindedly, "I mean, what could you talk about all day, potions and dark magic? Who does he hang out with? We really know nothing about him at all. Can you see him taking care of a kid?"

Hermione groaned but said nothing. Of course she couldn't answer any of his questions but they were definitely making her think. Kids? She had thought about kids of course, but she had not spent much time thinking of the manner in which children came to be. She was fully aware that she was going to be sleeping with someone else but she was so wrapped up in David she never really considered whether she would enjoy it with someone else. Now that she knew who that someone else was, she was even more unsure if she would be able to enjoy it.

"Oh my god! You are going to have sex with Professor Snape!"

"Ginny!" Harry replied embarrassed.

"Well, it's true."

"We know its true Gin, but do you have to talk about it in front of me?" Harry asked pretending to be disgusted.

Hermione would have been amused if it wasn't her they were talking about. She had listened in on plenty of conversations about what Severus Snape's capable hands could do to a woman. She had never participated in those conversations but during the time of her crush on him, she had fantasized about it.

"Hermione, you will have to give me all the juicy details. I want to know if those hands are really as magical as they appear." Hermione just grimaced at her. _Oh, Merlin help me, what am I getting myself into? _She thought.

"_Gin,_" Harry cried, "I said I don't want to hear anymore!"

*************************************************************************************

Severus stared at the missive in his hands with disbelief all over his normally stony face. It was a good thing he was at home alone. He would not have wanted anyone to witness this. Hermione Jean Granger, bloody Gryffindor know-it-all, the brains of the Golden Trio, bushy haired, bucktoothed Granger was his most compatible match. She was an ex-student for Pete's sake.

"Fuck it all." He said throwing the paper down on his desk. Walking over to his minibar he cracked open what felt like the thousandth bottle of firewhiskey that month. Downing a double shot he looked at the paper one more time. Hermione Jean Granger. She was twenty years his junior! What in the hell could they possibly have in common? He imagined being set up with someone closer to his own age, someone with more experience with life. She was still a fucking child and an annoying one at that. Throwing back another double shot he flopped in his armchair and stared at the empty grate in his fireplace, considering his options.

His choices were few; he could leave the country, give up magic, kill himself, or just get on with courting Granger. He ruled out the first two immediately but he hesitated before ruling out the third. He had wanted to die many times over in his life and had yet to be successful. Killing himself was probably not even possible, no, he was fated to live this life out, and it would probably be long and full of bushy haired kids asking him questions relentlessly for whole of it. Maybe this was to be his true penance for his myriad of sins. But then again, maybe not, he had researched the methods the Ministry used to ensure compatibility and they were very sound. The chances of it being a mistake were very slim.

He didn't really know Granger after all. Severus only knew her as the child from his classroom. She had grown up before him but she was barely blossoming into womanhood before she left on that hunt with her friends. He knew she had disappeared to Australia for a year and was back again but he didn't know what she was doing, nor had he seen her around because they very obviously didn't have the same social circle. Maybe she was just as discontented with the whole thing as he was and that would be their common ground. Severus could not imagine anything pleasant coming out of a relationship with Granger. Even though she was no longer a student it still felt wholly inappropriate.

Standing up, Severus poured himself another double and threw it back, savoring the burn as it coursed down his throat. He couldn't even think anymore. He was going to contact Granger of course, he had agreed already to accept his match whoever it was but he was hard pressed to believe that he could fall in love with her. His heart was not his own, it belonged to Lily, always had, and always would. Severus settled back at his desk and drafted a letter to the Ministry acknowledging his match, and then he pulled out a fresh piece of parchment to write a letter to Granger.

He stared at it for a full fifteen minutes completely unaware of how to address her. His potions master persona would not be sufficient so he had to be cordial. Severus was fully cognizant that the situation would require less formal language. After pondering the situation for a few more moments he finally decided that he would use her first name when he was distracted by a tawny owl tapping on the study window.

He didn't recognize the owl, it was more elegant than the owls used by the Ministry, and it wasn't one he had seen any of his clients use. The owl hooted happily as Severus untied the letter from its leg and perched itself on the back of his chair. Severus offered it a treat which it took cheerfully but did not budge. Clearly the owl was not leaving until the missive was read or a reply was written. Severus peered down at his name on the outside of the scroll. He recognized the handwriting; it was neat but tiny and cramped. He had seen this penmanship over and over again crammed onto many feet of parchment throughout her six years as a student at Hogwarts. Once he realized that the letter was from Granger his stomach did an odd sort of flip and he was suddenly afraid of what it would say. What if it was a rejection? As appalling as he considered the match to be he had not prepared himself for rejection. Of course she would reject him. She was a young woman with a bright future, he was an old man doomed to live alone and unloved, borrowing pieces of himself out to anyone who needed it but never really living just for him.

The owl on his chair hooted once more. With trepidation Severus unrolled the scroll. It was short and simple, and it was not a rejection, at least not yet. She wanted to meet with him, there was still a chance she would reject him person, but she wanted to meet with him nonetheless. The letter also saved him the bother writing his own. He was really surprised that she had responded so quickly and that she had responded first. Quickly scribbling on the back of the parchment that he would meet her the next day at tea time he reattached the letter to her owl.

An hour later the owl returned bearing the simple message, _Leaky Cauldron, 4 pm._

*************************************************************************************

The day of the meeting with Severus Hermione and Ginny were ripping through the contents of Hermione's closet. Severus wanted to meet with her the next day. She was expecting him to say lets meet in a year or never, but not bloody fucking _tomorrow._ She told him to meet her at the Leaky Cauldron so that she could just walk there from work and there were plenty of dark corners for Harry and Ginny to hide in.

"Ginny, this is pointless. I am just going to wear the robes I normally wear to work. I don't see why I should have to dress up." Hermione understood the concept of looking for nice for someone but this was Snape, she didn't even know if he would notice such things.

"Oh Hermione shut up. You need to make him eat his heart out. He probably still thinks of you as a student which means he sees you as a child, which means you need to look a little more womanly. We will tame your hair, put some make up on you and make your robes a little tighter and you will look great. It's appropriate for work but a little more dressed up than you normally are. I think you should wear these light blue ones, you look really good in blues and greens." Ginny said fussing with a set of powder blue robes that were nicer than day to day robes but not quite as nice as dress robes. Once Hermione had them on Ginny shrunk them so the inside bodice was more fitted to her curves.

Ginny carefully applied just enough makeup to Hermione's face to bring out her eyes and accent the curve of her lips and then she used about half a bottle of Sleakeasy's Hair Potion to tame her wild curls. Hermione stood in front of the mirror and admired the effect. She looked different. Normally she never wore makeup and David always liked her hair pulled back. The last few times she had dressed up it was in muggle attire for David. Wizarding robes did make her look older and more mature. Hermione loved the way her hair was cascading down her shoulders but she didn't like the copious amount of time it took to get it right. She honestly preferred to leave her hair long and bushy and having Severus see it like this felt almost like a lie because she wasn't prepared to keep it up.

"You look great Hermione. Very mature, he will be crazy not to see you as an attractive young woman." Ginny said eyeing her handiwork, and then added as an afterthought. "I wonder what he will wear."

A vision of Snape in his billowing teacher's robes flashed through her mind. She could imagine him staring down at her over his hook nose with cold black eyes, and familiar crooked teethed sneer firmly locked in place. She couldn't imagine him looking any other way.

"Okay Ginny, at 3:45 you and Harry will be at the Leaky Cauldron right?"

"Hermione relax, we'll be there but you won't even see us. We will be using Harry's invisibility cloak so don't try to find us you'll just look like and idiot staring about the room. It's going to be fine."

Hermione nodded and apparated to work. She had no idea how she was going to make it through the day.

*************************************************************************************

The afternoon of his meeting with Hermione Severus stared at the arrangement of clothes on his bed. He'd summoned the courage to contact Narcissa and tell her who his match was. She was of course shocked but was thoroughly enjoying the whole situation. A young bright witch was exactly what Severus needed.

"Why is it that you only wear black, Severus? Everyday is like a bloody funeral to you." She quipped as she matched shirts with slacks and sorted through his robes. "I think you need to skip the robes today. Everything you have billows and you probably want to look less like a bat today."

"I don't see how it is going to make a difference. Besides, I have already straightened my teeth and cut my hair. That alone is an effort." Severus said dryly.

Narcissa scowled at him as she handed him a dark blue shirt and black slacks. "It makes a difference because you are not just meeting a former student, or going on a blind date, you are meeting your future wife. You could at least pretend to care."

Severus fumbled for the nearest chair and flopped into it. _My future wife._ That was the first time the phrase had been uttered aloud in and in his head since he had learned it was Granger. His mouth had gone dry and it took every effort not to flee the room and seek refuge in his liquor cabinet. He wasn't sure he could do this anymore.

"Take these." Narcissa demanded thrusting the clothes onto his lap. "Get dressed, I'll be back in a minute."

She left the room so that Severus could change in privacy. He numbly got up and changed out of his robes into the casual outfit Narcissa handed him. A couple of minutes later he cracked the door to signal to Narcissa that he was decent again and then stepped in front of the mirror to examine himself.

"See, you look nice. But you do need to unbutton your top button so you look less stiff. You need to relax, she is probably just as nervous as you are if not more so." Narcissa said peering over his shoulder and looking at his reflection in the mirror. "Now go Severus you are going to be late."

Severus glanced at his watch and cursed, he had ten minutes to be there. The day had flown by without him even realizing it. Grabbing the jacket Narcissa was holding out he turned on the spot and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, leaving his friend behind shaking her head in amusement.

*************************************************************************************

"Look Harry, there he is!" Ginny whispered pointing to the door. They had commandeered a table in the corner and had placed a reserved sign on it so that nobody would sit there. From their vantage point they could clearly see every available table in the room.

"Hmm, he's had a haircut and it's not greasy anymore either. He looks really dashing in muggle clothes. Have you ever seen him anything that isn't black?" Ginny asked Harry as Severus was led to a table just two over to the left of where they were.

"No Ginny. I haven't noticed any of those things. Great, he's close enough to use the extendable ears so we can listen in."

"Harry! I thought we were to observe not to listen!" Ginny said smirking but eagerly grabbing one of the flesh colored strings he was holding out to her. She put it in her ear just in time to tell the barman that he was meeting someone and would order when she arrived.

"Same voice." Harry commented.

"I can't wait to see his face when Hermione arrives." Ginny said checking her watch. At exactly four on the dot the door jingled open again and Hermione stepped through looking like she had rushed over, which knowing her she had. "There she is."

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: So thanks for your continued readership. I would like to thank my reviewers LDeetz, catysmom, notwritten, ginnylovesharry07, heidi191976, anmarie, diamond-helen, and professor doctor for faithfully reviewing the last chapter.**

**Let's all raise our glasses to whoopsydaisy who has to put up with my crap before you do, she is a wonderful beta.**

**I would like to point out that I realize that Hermione and Severus' reactions to things are a little redundant right now, one reason for that is to show how similar they really are but that does not mean it will stay that way.**

**Please review!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Ugh, no I don't have any money.

Life For Rent

Chapter 6

Severus stood up as soon as he saw Hermione shut the door behind her. She looked different but he immediately recognized her. He thought she looked lovely, professional and grown up. Her normally bushy hair was falling down her back in shoulders in soft waves. It looked nice but it wasn't _her._ He kind of hoped that her hair wouldn't always be slicked down. _Where the hell did that come from Sev, since when have you given a crap about Granger's hair? _

Hermione smiled when she saw Severus stand up. He seemed just as nervous as she did. She quickly scanned the room as she walked toward him looking for a trace of Harry and Ginny. A few tables away from Severus she noticed a reserved sign and then upon further inspection she saw a flesh colored string trailing across the floor underneath the tables in between theirs and hers. The sight made her smile a little wider.

"Sorry I'm late; I ran over at work a little and rushed over as soon as I could." Hermione said to Severus extending her hand. She inwardly nodded in approval when she came close. The few years since the war had obviously been kind, his hair was styled differently and it looked healthier. His muggle clothes and new hairstyle made him look younger than she had ever seen him.

"On the contrary, Miss Granger, you are right on time." Severus said offering her a tentative smile as he shook her hand. His voice was the same, smooth, deep, and silky.

Hermione was surprised once more to see that his teeth were straightened. It completely changed the dynamic of his face. In her memories his smile always looked like a sneer, but she saw now that he had a very nice smile, even if the one he offered was a little small and hesitant. Hermione took her seat across from Severus and gave him an appraising look.

"You look well." She said finally.

Severus returned her gaze and responded in kind. "As do you, Miss Granger."

Hermione laughed a light tinkling sound that made Severus' stomach flip ever so slightly. "First of all, we need to scrap the formalities. My name is Hermione. Miss Granger was one of your students and given our individual histories and our current circumstances don't you think we have progressed beyond surnames? Unless of course you insist that I still call you Professor."

Severus cringed at her jest. He was supposed to be leaving the snarky potions professor behind. Old habits die hard. "Forgive me, Hermione," Her name was unfamiliar but nice on his tongue, "you are absolutely right."

Neither of them said anything to each other for awhile as they both perused the menu and the barman came to take their order. Both of them kept looking up to steal a glance at the other. Hermione felt strangely at ease with him. She didn't know if it was because she was determined to make it work, or because she expected it too because of the Ministry's matching system, but either way she felt confident already.

Severus, on the other hand was more ill at ease. She was much prettier than he remembered, but that was to be expected because the last time he had seen her up close she was still an awkward teenager. He couldn't help but feel like there was an elephant in the room though. After seeing her he couldn't believe that she was still single, and if memory served him correctly, she was always interested in the youngest Weasley boy.

"Mi- ah, Hermione, forgive my bluntness but I feel like we should address the unusualness of our match in order to determine the best course of action." Severus said immediately feeling like an idiot. She was being perfectly cordial and he was being a bloody businessman.

Hermione frowned briefly before smiling at him again. His heart warmed a little. "You need to relax, _Professor, _I am perfectly aware that you and being matched is a bit unusual. Surely, though we aren't the first Gryffindor and Slytherin, teacher and student, twenty year age difference, and sometimes fought on opposite sides of a war, match out there are we? Did I forget anything else that might make it unusual?"

Severus smiled his first genuine smile since she had arrived. "I think you might have got them all. But then again, you usually do get most of the questions right."

Hermione looked at him, puzzled. _Was he flirting?_

"I am curious about one thing." He said.

"What is it?" Hermione asked picking up her cup of tea.

"It is a personal question."

"Well, if we are going to make this work, I imagine we will be asking each other many personal questions." Hermione answered, hoping it wasn't going to be something she didn't want Ginny or Harry to hear.

Severus fidgeted with his drink for a moment. She was definitely not planning on rejecting him then, which was good news. "I was merely curious as to how you ended up in the Ministry matching pool. I mean you're young, attractive, and talented, and I thought maybe you would be with Ron, although now that I say that out loud I realize how ridiculous that sounds."

"What do you mean how ridiculous that sounds?" Hermione blushed slightly at his compliments but now she just wanted to know where he was going with this.

Severus could have kicked himself. He was being a complete ass. "Honestly, I never saw you as compatible with Mr. Weasley, but I just meant that I know he is a Quidditch player out of the country and he is betrothed to one of my former students. I will admit that I am surprised you are single."

Hermione quickly picked up her tea and took a long drink. It was very hot and it burned her throat causing her eyes to water. She looked away from Severus for a moment but not before his astute spy intuition recognized that he had touched a very sensitive nerve.

"You don't have to answer that." He said feeling slightly embarrassed he had brought it up.

"No, no it's alright." Hermione said trying to keep her face impassive. "I was not single until very recently. I did have a boyfriend, he was a muggle."

Severus raised his brow but didn't say anything. He could tell she wanted to say more but she was keeping her face stiff. A part of him wanted to use Legilimency to see what she was really thinking. In the end, she decided to continue.

"We were together for three years. I met him in Australia while taking some classes at a university there. The marriage law was the impetus for our break up, but it would have happened eventually anyway." Hermione did not expect to tell him so much but now that she started she felt it was important to be completely honest with Severus about how she felt about David.

"You don't have to tell me anything else." He said.

"Yes I do. It is only fair that we start this off as honestly as possible. I told David about the marriage law and what it would mean for us if we were to stay together. It was then that I found out that children were not in his future, and if we did stay together he didn't want them raised in the magical world. Having children aside, he made it clear that he was not willing to keep my magic a secret from his family forever. You see? It was inevitable that our relationship would end. When I signed up for the matching process, I really didn't care who I got set up with as long as it kept me in the magical world and in England." She finished taking another drink of her tea. It felt good to get everything out in the open.

Severus watched her as she drank her tea. Her face was still impassive. She told her story as if she was reciting facts from a textbook but he understood that could be a cover for the hurt and insecurity she was really feeling. She clearly was not over this David bloke. He could sympathize. Lily had been dead for twenty years, he hadn't talked to her in even more and he still missed her. That was pathetic even to him.

"I too refused to leave the magical world or England," Severus hesitated, and then added, "but you are not over David yet. I can sympathize."

Hermione eyed him carefully. She suspected that he was hinting that there was someone else in his life too. She guessed it very well could be Lily but she had been gone for so long that Hermione couldn't be sure without asking. Hermione had her own opinions about Lily and Severus' longstanding crush on her but she wasn't about to bring it up with Harry listening in. Also, she was willing to give Severus a chance to volunteer the information. Hermione figured it was best to change the subject.

"You see, we are more compatible than I would have guessed then." Hermione said smiling at him. She was actually having a good time with him. He had not gotten nasty once, although she probably should keep her fingers crossed on that one.

"I guess so. So we are really going to do this then?" He felt silly for asking but he wanted to be sure, a part of him still believed that she might reject him. Especially since her other love was alive and kicking.

"Do you have your copy of the contract?" She asked producing a shrunken version of hers out of her robe pocket. After she resized it she spread it on the table. Severus smirked as he pulled his out of a pocket and resized it as well.

"Before we sign these, don't you think we should discuss a timeline for this ahh… courtship." Severus was still a little unsure what to call the whole arrangement.

Hermione narrowed her eyes in thought. "Well, we have time once we sign the contracts don't we? I mean the contract stipulates that we marry within a year. Are you suggesting we set a date now?"

That was exactly what he was suggesting but he hated how it sounded like a business transaction. It was like they were signing a lease on their engagement. He shouldn't have been surprised; once again his life was for rent. "That is what I was suggesting. I made an assumption that you would want to set the actual marriage for the last possible date so that it is done. There is nothing in the contract that says it can't be moved forward, it only can't be extended."

"To be honest Severus, I don't see why they are setting a date for the marriage in the first place. I mean isn't it good enough that we are accepting the contract? I realize by accepting marriage is inevitable but still." Hermione said exasperated. "This feels too businesslike."

Severus frowned; this was not going in the direction he wanted it to. "I realize that but it is something we need to agree on. One year from today?" he asked a little testily.

Hermione jumped a little at his tone. His smooth silky voice had taken on the edge she remembered from her school days.

"Yes that's fine." She replied quietly.

Severus filled in the date on his contract and she did on hers. They each signed their own and then swapped them. Once they had signed them the contracts rolled up, sealed themselves, and disappeared with a pop. Hermione was expecting them to disappear immediately but it wasn't until they had the weight of what they had done fully hit her. She was officially betrothed to Severus Snape.

Severus stared at the table where the contracts had been for a moment. Now that it was official and he was slightly irked about her complaint of actually setting the date, he was ready to end the meeting and have a drink.

"We should probably get to know each other a little better, don't you think?" Hermione asked.

"Yes I do. We have a lot to discuss." Severus knew that he was about to be bombarded with a steady stream of questions. He was not quite ready for it so he was pleasantly surprised when Hermione started talking.

"My birthday is September 19th, my parents are dentists, and I am a book buyer for Flourish and Blotts. I have a small flat in London that I have lived in for the past two years, and someday I hope to get my teaching credentials in either transfiguration or charms so that I can work at Hogwarts." Hermione could tell that he wasn't ready for any questions. He had the same annoyed look in his eyes that he got when students in class interrogated him too much, particularly her. Hermione hoped that by volunteering some information he would unclench a little.

"Those are admirable aspirations." He said.

"I like to think so. I love books almost as much as air but that doesn't mean I want to sit in the back of a bookstore for the rest of my life. I can read them anywhere." Hermione replied. "Do you miss teaching?"

Severus had asked himself that question many times. He missed Hogwarts a lot. It was his home for so long, it was the home of many abandoned boys, and he morosely had to leave it. The only reason he did so was because some people still harbored intense grudges against him for his actions against Dumbledore and during his time as Headmaster.

"I miss it sometimes." He replied honestly but that was all he was going to say. Hermione could see his eyes going stony and knew that she was not going to get much more information out of him.

"I see." Hermione was a little disheartened that he was clamming up already. Perhaps they had had enough for one day. "I suppose it's getting late."

Severus looked at his watch instinctively. It wasn't that late. Just a few moments before he was ready to end the meeting himself so he could have a drink, alone. Now all of a sudden he felt bad for not sharing information with her like she had him. He was just warming up to her though it would take some time.

"Perhaps you would like to join me at my house for dinner the day after tomorrow. You should see it if there is the possibility you will be living there someday." _Back to the business transactions, good job Severus. _

"That would be great. You cook?" Hermione said enthusiastically, this was a new development.

"Yes it is not that difficult to throw some ingredients together and make a palatable meal. Do you cook?" He asked in return.

"Yes. I even think I have a flair for it." She replied confidently.

"I will have to let you look through some of my recipe books then."

"I don't really use recipes. I like to vary them so much I usually just work from scratch." She said.

Severus quirked an eyebrow.

"What?" She demanded.

"It's just that in potions you used the written instructions to a fault, even when variations not in the instructions would improve the potion. I find it amusing that you would not follow a recipe when the premises are essentially the same." He replied smirking.

Hermione was insulted. She knew that he had varied many potions based on Harry's experience with the Half-blood Prince's potions book, but Hermione had always held her own potions too.

"Yes because you are so very wise." She said sarcastically.

"And you are merely intelligent."

"You say that like it's an insult." This conversation had definitely taken a downward turn. They were beginning to argue and she didn't give a hippogriff's asshole that they were well matched; she was not going to put up with any shit from him.

"There is a difference." He snapped.

"And?"

"You have no subtlety, such a deplorable Gryffindor trait. Potter is afflicted with it as well. Intelligence is flawless and can be achieved through constant study. Wisdom can only be achieved by allowing oneself to make mistakes and then learning from them. If you had allowed yourself to make mistakes in potions you may have found more than one way to fix them." Severus said in full on professor mode.

Hermione was going to snap at him about his jab about her being a Gryffindor and his slight to Harry but she closed her mouth. He made a really good point and she felt like a fool that she had not seen that for herself. In her anger she decided to place the blame on him.

"And whose fault was it that I didn't learn that?" She snapped.

Severus chuckled. "Yours. I told you in your first year that Potions was a subtle science and that few possess the disposition to truly embrace it."

Hermione nearly growled in frustration, but once again he was right. That didn't mean she couldn't learn how to do potions the right way now. She also realized that the situation was in desperate need of diffusing. "Well, maybe then I just need more practice."

Severus understood that she was trying to end the argument. Her eyes were softening from anger to weariness and he suspected she could use a drink as well. Calling over the barman he had him bring them both a shot of firewhiskey. Once it arrived she half raised it in salute to Severus and threw it back.

She sat there quietly toying with her glass for a few moments before pushing it away and looking at him again. Severus sighed, he needed to meet her in the middle, call a truce. "I apologize, Hermione. I was unforgivably rude. You are no longer my student and I should not have treated you as such. If you want to improve your potions ability, I should introduce you to my lab when you come over for dinner."

Hermione's eyes lit up. He was such a private person when he worked at school that she imagined it was a huge leap for him to allow her access to his personal lab so soon. Grasping at his olive branch she gave him a beaming smile that warmed his insides.

"That would be great."

Severus sighed with relief that their meeting was coming to a close and because they had survived their first fight. He laughed quietly. "I believe we just had our first fight."

Hermione paused in thought and then grinned broadly. "It was kind of fun. Just next time leave Harry out of it and don't insult my house."

"Agreed." Severus scribbled something on the back of a napkin and handed it to her. "This is my address, be there at 7?"

As Hermione took the napkin from him her fingers brushed against his. She felt a mild jolt in her hand at the contact which surprised her. She wasn't expecting to feel anything so soon really. If David wasn't still in her heart, that jolt might have been a lot more. Hermione needed to get over him and she knew it. She couldn't help but notice his hands though, and she caught herself staring at them for a moment. His fingers were long and calloused, Ginny was right, they did look like magic hands.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked.

Hermione started. She had to tear her gaze from his hands to his face. "Oh uh, actually I was going to head back to work. I left a few things undone so I could be here on time but it will only take me a few minutes to finish them so I think I will do it now."

"Well then, have a good night. I will see you soon." He said gathering his jacket and standing up. She stood up as well and followed him to the door. Once outside the door of the Leaky Cauldron they stood before each other awkwardly for a moment. It was one of those weird first date moments where no one really knows how to end the night. Finally she stretched out her hand again.

"Good night, Severus." He grasped her hand and shook it once firmly and then held it for a fraction of a second. This time Hermione felt a jolt a little more powerful than before.

Severus also felt a jolt when he touched Hermione's hand, but his went much deeper. He was definitely attracted to her. "Good night." He reluctantly let go of her hand and turned on the spot to apparate away.

Hermione stood staring at the spot he was just at for almost a minute until a hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped and screamed. Turning around with her wand at the ready she relaxed when she it was Ginny and Harry behind her sans invisibility cloak. She had forgotten about them.

"Wow, Hermione. That was really intense. Your life just got really interesting." Ginny said.

Hermione couldn't help but agree.

*************************************************************************************

A/N: Three cheers for my readers, my reviewers and my beta whoopsydaisy!!!!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Do I really need to keep doing this?

Life For Rent

Chapter 7

Severus stayed up very late that night thinking about his meeting with Hermione. He was extremely uncomfortable but he believed he had managed to hide it very well. Despite their argument toward the end he thought it went surprisingly well, though Severus had berated himself thoroughly for his jab at her intelligence. While it was a classic Severus thing to say and do, he was trying not to be _that_ Severus. Of course he was still snarky and enjoyed sarcasm but he wasn't the potions professor anymore; at least not _her_ potions professor. Now that he could see how mature she had become, and how attractive he had to make less of an effort to see her as his ex-student. Especially considering she would be in his home soon and they would be expected to do things with each other that would be highly inappropriate if she was still his student.

The thought of a physical relationship with Hermione was by far the easiest kind of relationship for him to fathom. Obviously he had physical needs and it had a very long time since those needs had been met by an attractive young woman. He could easily envision the things they could do with each other in bed and he felt slightly ashamed for imagining it, until he reminded himself once again that she was no longer a student and that it was inevitable. As far as maintaining a relationship went he was more scared than he ever had been. He had never actually had a girlfriend so to speak. Lily was as close as he had come to that and he could not imagine any woman stimulating him emotionally as Lily had. Granger was smart but she was young and it was not the same. It was not the same because she wasn't Lily. Lily was his first love and he did not if he would ever love someone the same way again.

Interestingly, however, his love for Lily did not interfere with his ability to enjoy sex. Perhaps it was because he had never known Lily that way so he could not compare any woman to her sexually. Or, perhaps it was because he _is_ a man. That was a good thing because it was bad enough he was afraid he would never love Hermione but at least he could show her physical affection without Lily interfering. To be fair to Hermione he should probably refrain from touching her until she understands that if and when they pursue a physical relationship there is a good chance his actions will not be borne out of love. Based on her story of her Muggle ex-boyfriend he assumed the feeling might be mutual. The thought should have brought him a sense of relief but strangely, it did not. Even someone with a reputation as being as cold and heartless as Severus was could recognize the depravity of their situation. They were doomed to live with each other, but never to love each other.

Severus' musing left him feeling lonelier than ever. He missed a woman's touch even if the women who had served him before were less than respectable. Now that he was with Hermione he would not be able to seek out any of easier contacts for that little bit of comfort. Picturing Hermione soft curves under her work robes and the curve of her lips made him slightly turned on. Yes, she was definitely attractive and that was at least a bonus. The tell-tale sensation of blood rushing to his groin signified that it was a bonus indeed. He blushed at the thought of what Hermione looked like under her robes and was fiercely glad she was not there to witness him touching himself at the image.

*************************************************************************************

Hermione, Harry, and Ginny went to Grimmauld Place immediately after the meeting with Severus. Kreacher busied himself with making the trio dinner while they discussed every detail of the encounter.

"I can't believe he said I have no subtlety." Harry declared indignantly. "He said the same damn thing when he was trying to teach me Occlumency. He doesn't let anything go does he?"

"You clearly haven't let it go either, Harry." Hermione replied matter -of-factly.

Harry huffed and crossed his arms. "So now you're defending him?"

Hermione stared at him in shock. "What am I supposed to do Harry? I am going to marry the man. He agreed to leave you out of it next time we argue, which based off of tonight I expect will be quite often so it would be absolutely lovely if you would just give me your support. You were supportive a few days ago. What happened?"

"Yeah Harry," said Ginny laying a comforting hand on his arm. "What did happen? Why are you so upset now?"

Harry stared stonily at nothing for a moment. Finally he sighed deeply and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "It was just seeing him after all this time. After all those letters I sent to him asking about my mother and him telling me know, I just couldn't help but feel angry that he was right there in front of me and I couldn't confront him. I _know_ that he helped us a lot during the war and I do respect him for it but he was just so cruel to me I had a really hard time seeing him again. And then when he threw me into his little argument with you, I kind of lost it."

Hermione understood perfectly. It had been very difficult for her as well, but she was on a different page than Harry. She had already made the decision to be at ease around Severus and had found it surprisingly easy to do. Hermione had no illusions that it was always going to be easy but it was not as difficult for her to push aside the past because she was going to have to live with him. It would not do to dwell on what could not be changed.

"I do understand, Harry. It's just that I have to make a life with him so I am in a different position than you are. But don't worry, I am sure we will fight over you again and again because you will always be a part of my life whether he likes it or not. Eventually he is going to have to tell me how he feels about you. Maybe I can find a way to convince him to talk to you about your mother." Hermione said consolingly.

Harry just nodded and pulled Ginny onto his lap and placed a loving hand on her stomach. Hermione felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as she watched the loving exchange. Would she ever be able to share a special moment like that with Severus? Would he be there to hold her and comfort her when things were difficult? Would he caress her stomach and treat her gently when she was pregnant? It was hard for Hermione to imagine Severus doing any of those things but she really didn't know him in that capacity so she didn't want to assume. She could imagine David doing all of those things, or at least she could when she thought he would want marriage and babies, but now she wasn't sure. The one thing she did know was that whether or not she and Severus ever fell in love with each other, any babies that had would be loved immensely, at least by her.

The three friends were halfway through dinner when Kreacher approached Harry with a letter.

"Letter for you, Master." Kreacher said handing it over.

Harry took the letter and scanned it quickly. "Thanks, Kreacher. It's from work; they need me to go in to help with some questioning. Apparently Mundungus Fletcher got caught trying to steal a shipment of Firebolts. He's been out of jail for two minutes and he's back at it again."

Mundungus Fletcher had gone to jail for three years for desertion during the war. Harry stood up reluctantly and gave Ginny a long kiss. "Don't stay up too late, okay? I love you."

"I love you too, Harry, now go to work so that Hermione and I can have some girl time." Ginny said pushing Harry out the door. Harry just rolled his eyes, kissed her again really quickly, and disappeared through the fireplace.

Ginny immediately rounded on Hermione a huge grin on her face. "Now let's talk about everything Harry would not want to hear."

"Oh, Ginny. You were there, what is there to talk about?" Hermione asked innocently.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Come on Hermione. You saw him and you know he looks good, you cannot deny it."

Giving in Hermione grabbed her drink and led Ginny to the sitting room so they could be more comfortable. "Fine, Gin, I admit he looked good. He looks younger with shorter hair, and his smile is really nice. Still has the same nose though."

"Ah, who cares about his nose what about his hands? How were his hands, I always loved his hands." Ginny said getting caught up in the moment. She was bubbling over with excitement.

Hermione frowned. "Yes his hands were nice and his voice is as silky and seductive as ever but he is no David."

Ginny let out a great breath. Was Hermione ever going to get over him? "Fine, you're right, David was pretty Mugglicious, but it's over. I don't want to be harsh but the sooner you realize the better off you'll be."

"I _know_ that Ginny, and I am trying but how do you get over someone? It's not like I can just tell myself to stop thinking about him. I have been thinking about Severus too, just in a different way."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"I mean that I can imagine living with him, kind of. I can imagine getting along with him and respecting him. I can even imagine having sex with him," Hermione blushed and Ginny giggled, "but I can't imagine loving him. There is attraction sure, I felt it when he touched my hand but it was kind of physical. I just don't know. It's all so weird. And now I am going to be going to his house soon for dinner. It feels so intimate."

"You are going to be intimate eventually. Why wait? How far do you think you will go with him when you go to his house for dinner?" Ginny asked excitedly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if it goes nowhere. I am not going to throw myself at him and he doesn't exactly seem the type to do it himself either."

"But you wouldn't stop him if he did try something would you?" Ginny asked hoping she would she would say no.

"No, I probably wouldn't stop him if he kissed me or something. I am curious after all. I just feel like I would be cheating on David." Ginny opened her mouth to speak but Hermione interrupted her, "I know I wouldn't be Ginny."

"You know Hermione, you are pretty lucky. Lots of girls at school would have donated their kidneys to get to know Snape the way you are." Ginny gushed excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm the lucky one." Hermione said sarcastically.

************************************************************************************

Hermione fussed with the hem of her shirt pulling it down and smoothing it. She ran a hand through her hair which was back to its bushy state. Ginny had attempted to tackle Hermione with a bottle of Sleekeasy but Hermione said she would hex her into oblivion, pregnant or no. Finally she had relented but Hermione did agree to wear a shirt just a little tighter than what she would normally wear. Hermione never cared that much about her clothes but she had to admit that she did look good in the silky green shirt she had on.

Adjusting the bottles of wine she was carrying so that she was holding one in each hand she knocked on Severus' door. Her heart was thumping in her chest as she waited for him to answer. The house was small and painted white. The front garden looked like it was recently tended too. All in the entire place was neat and unassuming; not at all what she would expect to see someone like Severus Snape living in. When she thought about him she thought about stone houses and gargoyles.

Severus opened the door after a just a minute interrupting Hermione's examination of the house. "Good evening."

"Hello, I brought two bottles of wine, one red, one white, since I didn't know what we were having." Hermione rambled nervously stepping over the threshold.

Severus was staring at her. Her hair was back to its normal state. He did like it better all wild like that which surprised him. She looked absolutely stunning in her green silk shirt. It hugged her in all the right places and he blushed as he thought about what he had done the other night when he imagined what she looked like under her clothes. Thankfully, Hermione was too busy examining the living room they had just walked into. She was staring in awe at all the books.

"You look lovely this evening." Severus blurted. Hermione started and looked at him. She had to suppress a laugh because he had a pink tinge in his cheeks like he was embarrassed by his statement.

"Thank you, so do you." She replied. He did look nice. He was wearing a crisp white button down shirt and a pair of black pants. "White looks good on you."

He didn't say anything, just nodded curtly and gestured to the myriad of books covering every wall. "Just a portion of my collection."

Hermione felt like she had died and gone to heaven. As a book buyer she could appreciate the quality and extensiveness of his collection. He had enough books in his living room alone to happily satisfy her for years. She couldn't wait to see what else he had.

Severus noted the light in her eyes as she examined his books. Clearly books would be something solid they had in a common. Because of them they would probably never lack in conversation topics or ways to pass an evening.

"I can't wait to see the rest of them." Hermione said excitedly, then she blushed at her eagerness, "I mean, I hope I get to, I didn't mean to presume that—"

"It's quite alright. You will see them in due time and my lab as I promised. I hope you like pasta. I am making alfredo." Severus said taking the wine and leading her through a door in the living room into the kitchen.

"I guess it is the white then." Hermione said gesturing to the bottle in his left hand.

Severus smiled, so she knew just a little bit about wine. He had picked a white for the meal too but he would leave it and drink hers.

Hermione caught him appraising her. "I mean I don't really know a lot about wines beyond what color tends to go best with pasta or certain kinds of meat. I know what I like and I have a discerning palate, I just never really studied them."

Severus started. It was if she had just guessed his thoughts. He didn't really know what he felt about that. The only person who had the talent to always say something that was along his train of thoughts was Lily. "I'm not much of a connoisseur myself. I have my favorites, and I like trying new wines but I don't spend much time selecting them."

Hermione was surprised. She expected him to be the sort of man who only did something all the way. For example he would be an expert in wine or not drink it at all.

"Surprised?" He asked.

"About what?" _Hermione asked. Did he just read my thoughts? It didn't feel like it._

"About my lack of wine expertise." He said. He could tell by her face that she was surprised at his admission.

"I guess I was a little. I just took you as the sort of person who is very thorough with everything."

"A trait I expected from you as well, but obviously we both pick and choose what we wish to study." He replied pouring her a glass. "Now sit down, dinner will be ready shortly."

Hermione sat down and watched, fascinated as he cooked the pasta and chopped vegetables for a salad. He didn't use magic at all. His movements were fluid and adept and Hermione found herself appreciating his hands once again. She felt a shiver in her spine at the thought of those hands touching her.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked. She enjoyed watching him but she didn't like feeling useless.

"You can slice the bread, if you don't mind. I am done here I just need to set the table."

Hermione sliced the bread as he set the table. This time he used magic to set the places carefully. Hermione set the bread on the table as he refilled her wine glass and served her.

"It looks delicious." She commented.

Severus smiled his appreciation. He noticed he had been smiling a lot in the last two days since he first met with Hermione and was glad not for the first time that he fixed his teeth. Narcissa had commented that his smile looked less like a sneer now. Severus picked up his wine glass and held it aloft.

Hermione followed suit eyeing him interestedly. What could he possibly want to toast?

"To, well, us I suppose." He said awkwardly.

"To us." Hermione replied taking a drink. The evening was definitely off to an interesting start.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Sorry for the quasi cliffhanger but this chapter was originally 24 pages and I had to split it. The next chapter will pick it up directly so it will have kind of an abrupt start.**

**I would like to thank hockeygirl1489, Suzanne, sweet-tang-honney,heidi191976, sleepingbutterfly, zoe, diamond-helen, notwritten, makaem, LDeetz, whoopsydaisy for your lovely reviews. If you sign in when you review I will respond especially if you ask questions or have specific comment.**

**Naturally I want to give a big bag jelly babies to my beta whoopsydaisy because they are so good and she's a great beta!**


	8. Chapter 8

Life For Rent

Chapter 8

**Last week on Life For Rent….**

Hermione followed suit eyeing him interestedly. What could he possibly want to toast?

"To, well, us I suppose." He said awkwardly.

"To us." Hermione replied taking a drink. The evening was definitely off to an interesting start.

*****************************************************************************************

The rest of the meal passed in amiable silence. Hermione was surprised at how easy it was to be around him and not talk. That was something she appreciated. Despite what most people thought about her she could appreciate silence. Of course she was bursting to ask him questions but she was learning just as much about him by observing him as she could by talking to him. For example, she noticed that he cut his slice of bread in half before he ate it, and that he chewed very thoroughly and methodically taking care to savor his food. Hermione thought back to how Ron had gorged himself, and even David didn't give much thought to his food. She really liked the elegant way in which Severus approached everything he did.

"This was really good. I'm quite full." Hermione said when she had finished.

"I guess we should have dessert later then." Severus said. "I hope you like chocolate. I made a torte."

"Wow, you really do cook, and I definitely like chocolate." Hermione grinned.

Severus started stacking up dishes and Hermione jumped up to help him. "Let's just use magic to clean this up then."

A few wand movements later the kitchen was sparkling again.

"When I first learned I could do magic I was really excited because then I wouldn't have to do any chores the Muggle way anymore. You should have seen how disappointed I was to find out I wasn't allowed to do magic at home." Hermione reminisced as she handed him a clean plate.

"My mother used to do chores with magic when my father wasn't home." Severus said quietly.

Hermione knew that his father was a Muggle and that his parents had fought a lot because Harry had told her about the memories he had seen but she didn't know anything else.

"Is this the house you grew up in?" Hermione asked, knowing full well that it was.

Severus looked at her. "Yes, though I am surprised I kept it. I guess with the way my life was going, spying and everything, buying a house was not high on my list of priorities."

"That's understandable." Hermione said, though she had a lot of questions for him. He was fascinating.

"Would you like some more wine?" Severus asked as he uncorked the other bottle she had brought.

Hermione did but she was afraid that she would become pestering if she had more. "I would but I am feeling the effects of what I had already, and they don't call it a social lubricant for nothing. If you think I ask too many questions sober, wait until I get tipsy."

"I think you are entitled to ask your questions now Hermione. I may not answer them all but I believe the whole purpose of this evening is to get to know each other better." Severus watched her as she eyed the wine for a moment, and then shook her head.

"Well, maybe later then. Would you like to see my lab?" Severus asked.

Hermione smiled in response as Severus led her down a staircase that was situated in a corner of the kitchen. When she stepped from behind him into the room at the bottom her jaw dropped. The room appeared to be magically expanded. There were four cauldrons of varying design sitting on four individual, waste high, work stations. Two walls were filled with carefully labeled potions ingredients, one was full of finished potions, and the fourth was covered in potions books. In a far corner of the room was a desk.

Hermione walked around the room dragging her fingers over the spines of his books. She pulled out a book that was titled, 'Hair Care Potions for the Caring Witch,' and snickered. Severus blushed and picked hit quickly out of her hand. Hermione raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"Okay, you caught me. I am trying to create a line of hair care products that will counteract the steamy effects potions have on hair. Of course it would help in humid weather, and rain, and – ah, I thought I could make some money." Severus was not about to admit he had been creating the potion not only to sell, but for his own use.

Hermione suppressed a giggle. That was not something she was expecting to hear from him. Ginny was going to love it.

"To be sold under a pseudonym of course." He added. "You're laughing at me aren't you?"

"No, Severus. But would you pseudonym happen to be Soupie Sails?" She asked trying really hard not to laugh out loud.

Severus frowned at her. "How did you know that?" He demanded.

"Think about it for a minute. You'll get there." Hermione said walking over to the ingredients that were carefully placed around the first cauldron she approached.

Severus stared at her baffled. How did she possibly know what his pseudonym was? And then it hit him. "You were the book buyer who took my order for hair care books at Flourish and Blotts weren't you?" He asked, appalled.

"Yes I was but I just now learned it was you. I recognized the books." She replied smiling. "Don't be embarrassed, I was bound to find out. You won't be able to keep secrets from me like that. But I will keep it a secret for you, if you wish."

Severus just nodded and walked over to the cauldron she was standing by. Hermione inspected the ingredients and then sucked in her breath. "You are brewing wolfsbane. A lot of it, too." She looked up at him, her respect growing.

"Yes, I brew it and sell it at cost so I don't really make a profit. I sell it to werewolves who are trying to lead somewhat normal lives. I brewed it for Lupin and it is kind of my own way of doing penance for not treating him as he deserved."

Hermione saw the pain flash across Severus' face. He quickly schooled his face into an impassive expression but Hermione saw the hurt that was lingering deep in his eyes. _He really hasn't recovered from the war,_ Hermione thought. Not knowing what came over her she reached for his hand and held it lightly.

"We all have our demons, Severus. It's okay to think about them, and talk about it." She said.

Severus took his hand back as if burned. She didn't understand yet, he didn't know if she ever would. "Yes, well some of them are worse than others."

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to--,"

"I know. I need to learn to be more receptive to people. The last thing I want to do is alienate you, it's just difficult for me to open up." Severus said walking back toward the stairs.

_I just blew, _thought Hermione dejectedly as she followed him up the stairs. Once back in the kitchen he poured them both a fresh glass of wine. Retrieving two slices of the torte he had mentioned earlier he sat back at the table. Hermione joined him, afraid to say anything. Clearly he was willing to continue with the evening but she didn't know what to say. Unable to bear the silence she asked about his business.

"How are you faring with your business clients?" She asked before putting a bite of torte in her mouth. She involuntary closed her eyes as she savored the flavor, it was divine. "This is fantastic."

"Thank you. And I am doing well, except for lately my accounts seem to be getting a little larger than I expected. I find more and more I am turning down new contracts so that I might keep up with the workload." He answered savoring his own torte. One little known fact about Severus Snape was that he loved chocolate.

Hermione took one more bite and a sip of wine before speaking again. "Have you considered hiring an assistant?"

"I don't know if I want my business to get that big." He responded. "I honestly can't see myself brewing potions from home as a long term career option. It has merely been a diversion from doing nothing at all."

"I understand. If there is anything I can do to help while you figure it out I would be willing. I have always wanted to learn how brew Wolfsbane. Its seventh year and well, you know I wasn't there seventh year so I missed out on a lot." She said hoping she hadn't asked too much of him.

Severus considered her for a moment. "It must have been hard for you, that year."

"Yes, it was very hard. I learned a lot but it was at a price. We all paid a price, but as you pointed out before, some suffered more than others. I survived relatively unscathed. I could not hope for more. Of all the things I regret from that year it was not being Head Girl. Does that make me sound pathetic or what?" She said.

"No, it makes you sound like someone who had a goal and was disappointed it didn't come to pass. It's perfectly normal. I would be happy to teach you how to make Wolfsbane. However, you will have to be prepared. I have some books I can lend you." Severus said feeling himself slipping into teacher mode. He really missed teaching. He was shocked at the realization as it hit him full force. He really did miss it.

Hermione was beginning to feel the effects of the wine. She felt herself grinning foolishly at the thought of him teaching her potions again and quickly looked down blushing. Severus thought she looked lovely blushing like that. He was truly excited at the prospect of working with her in his lab. When Hermione finished with her dessert she looked at her watch. She raised her eyebrows when she saw that she had been there for three hours already.

"Do you have somewhere you need to be?" Severus asked not quite sure he wanted her to go yet.

"No, I was just shocked to see how much time had passed. It doesn't feel like ten already at all." Hermione commented.

Severus looked at her for a moment, thinking. "I suppose I should give you a quick tour of the rest of the house. It's not much and we don't have to keep it, but I figured for the meantime it would suffice."

Hermione started. He was talking about their future and where they would live. She was enjoying the evening as if it was a first date and nothing more. She had completely failed to remember that this was the beginning of something else entirely.

"Yes, I would like to see it." Hermione replied. Severus led her through yet another door in the kitchen that led to a small but formal dining room.

"This is obviously the dining room, " He said leading her through it back into the living room, "living room, and the upstairs is right through here." He said leading through a concealed doorway.

At her curious glance he said, "Remnants of my Death Eater days when I didn't want anyone to find my personal quarters. Now that you have seen it, the door will always be visible to you."

Hermione nodded as they went up the stairs. The carpet was old but clean. All the walls were painted off white. If she were to live in this house they would have to do something about that.

"This room off to the right is a guest room," he said gesturing through and open door. There was nothing but a full bed, neatly made, a chest of drawers, and a night stand with a lamp on it. "This is my study and library," he said leading her into a room at the end of the hall. Hermione sucked in her breath.

"This is a really great room." She said. It had dark mahogany furniture and the walls were covered from floor to ceiling with books. Below the one window was a cherry wood desk. In the middle of the room was a lovely leather couch and a coffee table.

"I'm glad you approve. Come on, you can linger in here another time." he said pulling her out by the hand. He surprised them both when he didn't let go as he led her down the hall again. "Bathroom here," he said tapping on a door, "and here is the master bedroom." He finished a little awkwardly.

He let go of her hand as he pushed the door open. Hermione wasn't going to go in at first but curiosity overwhelmed her. If she was going to keep his hair care secrets from Ginny she was going to have to have something else to tell her. Now she could honestly say she was in her room. The furniture in his bedroom was just as handsome as the library. It was all mahogany and elegantly carved. The bed was large and had a comfortable looking down comforter on it. It was silver and black and quite fetching. There was dresser, night tables on both sides of the bed, and a large ornately carved armoire. There were even more books.

"That is a really lovely armoire. Do you use it as a closet?" Hermione asked as she eyed the closet door suspiciously. The cabinet looked very much like the one her parents kept their television hidden in.

Severus shuffled his feet for a moment before walking over to the armoire and opening it. Inside were a large television and a fairly new DVD player.

Hermione didn't even bother to hide her laugh. "I knew there was a television in there. My parents have theirs in something similar."

Severus frowned at her. "Don't worry Severus; I am actually relieved to see it. I really love movies and I wasn't sure how I was going to tell you about it. I didn't see any place in the house I could sneak a television."

Severus laughed this time as well. Hermione loved the sound of his laugh it was genuine and carefree and she was sure he didn't do it often. "Well, it looks like we found one more thing we have in common."

Reaching for her hand again he led her back down the stairs to the living room. They chatted happily for a little while over what movies they both liked and found their interests were similar there as well. Hermione's favorite movie, The Breakfast Club, was one that he really enjoyed as well.

"From a teacher's perspective it was really entertaining, I have to admit." He said pouring her the last of their second bottle of wine and then sitting next to her on the sofa.

"You're trying to get me drunk." She said taking a sip.

Severus smiled. "Are you drunk?"

"Maybe. No, I don't think so." She said.

"So, what do you think, seriously. About the house I mean." He said reaching for her hand again, this time with a little more hesitation. She laced her fingers through his. His hand felt nice in hers and she knew she could get used to it.

"I like it. It's neat and clean. But if you expect me to move in we are going to have to do something about the white walls. And I didn't see much space for my books and things." She replied honestly.

"I know how to magically expand it. I could make the place quite large, but I always liked it small."

Hermione leaned back savoring the sensation of his thumb tracing the back of her hand. "It is cozy this way."

"How do you feel about cohabitation?" he asked quietly.

"Are you asking me to move in already?" She asked in a teasing tone.

Severus looked at her, clearly afraid he had said the wrong thing. Hermione took pity on him. "If you are asking me if I believe couples should live together before they are married, then yes I am for it. I am not very old-fashioned." She said. Her parents on the other hand were going to shit bricks if she ever got around to telling them what was going on.

Hermione yawned widely just then.

"Tired?"

"Kind of, it's been a long day."

"Hermione, there is something I need to tell you right now. I need to get it out and I don't know how you are going to feel about it." Severus said not looking at her. "I want you to know that I find you very attractive and that I enjoy spending time with you but I uh I don't know if I will be able to um, fall in love with you. I say that regrettably of course because I mean what I said, but I am afraid my heart is not really mine to give."

Hermione withdrew her hand from his. Something had just occurred to her that she couldn't believe she hadn't considered before. She understood of course because she still loved David but she was beginning to think that maybe Severus would be the key in getting over him. Severus had a wholly unhealthy attachment to a ghost and he might kill her for it but she was going to point it out, someday.

"Sure, Severus I totally get it." She said getting up. "Or at least I get parts of it only because I just recently broke up with someone. Am I ever going to get an explanation about Lily, I mean she did stop talking to you after one slip of the tongue that occurred long ago."

Hermione could see his eyes darkening in anger the longer she talked. She instantly regretted giving her opinion so decidedly. Hermione quickly backed against the wall a little afraid. For the longest time he sat there glaring at her with daggers coming out of his eyes.

Severus felt his temper raising the longer Hermione talked. He was not angry at her for any reason that she probably thought though. He was angry because she was right and hearing it come out of her mouth was like a slap in the face. She was twenty years his junior but she had the full measure of his ridiculousness much better than he did.

"Look Severus, forget that I said that. It's not my business. I'll just go. This was a lovely evening and I am afraid I spoiled it." Hermione said getting ready to show herself out the door. Just as she reached the door handle Severus stopped her by putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"No Hermione, wait. Don't leave just yet. I don't want to end this evening on a disagreement. I want to say that it's not your business, but it will eventually affect you. I am just not going to discuss it with you unless it is necessary, and at this stage it is not." Severus grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the door.

Hermione was really astounded. She was expecting an outburst, a curse or two, to have him go straight to the ministry to revoke the contract but not, contrition. She looked up into the black depths of his eyes and felt tears prickling in the back of her own. He was grieving the loss of Lily right before her eyes, not that she believed he would ever admit it to her. Severus had grieved her before but this time he was actually trying to say good bye and it broke her heart. She may have been betrothed to this match under unusual circumstances but that did not mean she didn't care about his happiness.

"It's okay Severus. I understand that you are not angry at me. I won't bring it up again, unless of course you want to talk and then you know I will be there for you. I fully understand that you might not be able to love me. I still love someone else too, but I am beginning to have faith that it will go away." Hermione said honestly. "Until you reach sixty you are stuck into this contract with me so I don't want to do anything to make it harder on you than it has to be. I for one though, am glad it was you that I got matched with."

Hermione continued to look into his eyes so that she might read what was there. His eyes were trapping her in but she couldn't read anything in them. She could tell he wasn't angry with her but his jaw was clenching making it obvious that he was still tense. He wasn't saying anything and she really wished he would. She could see his muscles in his jaw working as he ground his teeth together. Out of sheer insanity she reached up and stroked the point of his jaw that had the most visible tension.

Severus was battling a surfeit of emotions as Hermione kept talking. There was a storm brewing inside of him but he couldn't bring himself to look away from her. All the while she was speaking about his heart belonging to Lily all he wanted to do was kiss the woman who was before him. Nobody had ever called him out on his feelings for Lily or blamed her for holding an unnecessary grudge. Hermione had simultaneously validated his feelings for Lily and repudiated them at the same time in a way that made perfect sense to him. He was very glad that the Ministry had matched him to her as well.

When she reached out to touch his face he nearly lost his composure. He shot a hand up to cover hers and slowly pulled hers away from his face. She made a move to pull her hand out of his grasp but he held on tightly to it. He pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. Hermione hesitated and then she wrapped her arms around him as well.

Severus relaxed noticeably when she wound her arms around his back. He honestly could not remember the last time he had held someone nor had someone hold him. He took a shuddering breath and fought back tears as he held Hermione. He silently thanked the Ministry for their matching system because it had truly worked. He knew deep down inside that Lily was never his soul mate because she had ended up with someone else and the literature on soul magic was very explicit on that. He had loved her enough though to believe she could be his soul mate, and knew her very well but with Hermione he felt an affinity that was wholly different. He was only getting to know her again but he couldn't see not being with her now.

"I'm glad it was you as well." He whispered into her hair as he breathed in the scent. Her hair smelled like juniper and he inhaled deeply. After what felt like moments but could have been an eternity Severus slowly pulled away.

"I want to make this work and that means more than having mutual respect and compatibility." Severus said. "If we are to raise a family and do this right, we will have to be open to that mutual respect growing into more. I am willing, it will just take time."

Severus led her back to the couch and sat down with her still holding her hand. "We have one more thing that we need to talk about just so we can have all of these unpleasantries out in the open, and that is children."

Hermione stared at him. He really was getting down to business. When it came to kids Hermione had only one request. "About children, Severus, I only have one demand, and that is that my children will always be loved by _both_ their parents. I don't want them to think we are anything less than enamored with each other."

Severus sighed with relief. He'd had a horrible childhood and he didn't want to repeat his parents' mistakes. When he was first sucked into the marriage law he was convinced that the cycle would surely repeat itself. "Good, I would expect nothing less."

"I am really tired and a lot has happened for me to take in, Severus. I really think I should go." Hermione said regretfully. They had moved very far very quickly that night and she needed some space. Severus did too, he just didn't want her to leave with him angry and have that cause problems. There were some lessons he did learn from his past.

"I am always going to be a disagreeable man, I hope you realize that."

"I am always going to ask you too many questions and share my opinion too often." She said smiling as she walked to the door again. "Thanks for dinner, it was delicious. This evening was most illuminating."

"When will I see you again?" He asked hoping it was soon.

Hermione thought. They only had a year to get married which meant that they would need to move through a lot of relationship in a very short amount of time. She wanted to talk to him about the wedding but didn't think it was quite the time yet so she would have to move things along. "I have to work tomorrow but if you want to meet for lunch that would be nice."

Severus agreed to meet her the next day at her work for lunch. Just before she left he pulled her into another hug. This time when he pulled away it was just enough to bend down and kiss her forehead before pulling completely away. Hermione felt a jolt as his lips touched her skin. They were warm and dry and they felt impossibly soft, as if they couldn't belong to such a hard man. He held her hand all the way past the wards where it was safe to apparate away.

"Good night." She said before turning on the spot and disapparating. Severus stared at the place she had just been with a smile on his face.

************************************************************************************

**A/N: Special thanks to all my readers and reviewers!!!!**

**Okay so my super awesome beta pointed something out to me about the last few chapters and I want to bring it up in case some of you agree, because I happen to agree as well. She mentioned that the last couple of chapters were kind of hunky-dory which is cool, I get it but in case a bunch of you feel the same way I wanted to let you know that drama is definitely on the way. **

**But as a warning for those of you who like lots and lots of drama with murder and kidnapping and lots of fighting, this fic won't be like that. This story is going to be primarily fluff, with a little more mixed in. I wanted to see what it would be like to write a story where the main couple actually gets along and doesn't break up every two seconds (I am not saying whether they will or they won't). There will be drama though!!!!**

**If you like plotting and all that what not and you think I am a decent enough writer check out my Dramione Twisted Roots that one has lots of twists and turns.**

**My beta is writing a super cool SS/OC fic called Uncharmable you need to find whoopsydaisy and check it out.**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Life For Rent

Chapter 9

"David!" Harry said in surprise as he exited his home on Grimmauld Place to walk to a nearby grocer. Ginny was very hungry and she was adamant that the only thing that would satisfy her was a bag of crisps, so Harry, always eager to please her volunteered to them for her. Harry was beginning to doubt that she was only going on three months along. Her stomach was starting to round out just a little and her mood swings were a little severe. Hermione said that she might be pregnant with twins. Harry had shuddered at the thought. He was scared enough to have to deal with one.

David shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't mean to interrupt you. If you're leaving I can talk to you later."

"Not at all. You can walk with me. I am just going to get Ginny some crisps. She's pregnant, you know." Harry said congenially. He'd always liked David; he was good for Hermione because he was intelligent and easy going. Harry had to admit he was a little resentful toward him for not saving Hermione from the marriage law, but he had outgrown grudges and Hermione wouldn't want him to hold one anyway.

"No, I didn't know. I guess Hermione found out after, we uh, you know." David said quietly. "How is she?"

Harry knew David was referring to Hermione and not Ginny. "She's well."

They walked in silence for a few more moments until David spoke abruptly. "Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Did Hermione get set up with someone?"

Harry stopped walking for a beat. He wasn't expecting that at all. "Yes, actually, she did get set up. They have been seeing each other for around three weeks now."

David stopped and leaned against the wall of the grocer's that they had just arrived at. He was hoping he still had time to make things right. He really missed Hermione terribly and regretted his words that night.

"Is she happy?"

Harry frowned at David. "I really don't know, David. I think she is as happy as she can be given the circumstances. I know she likes Severus but he wasn't her first choice, you were."

David felt a flicker of hope at Harry's words. He also felt a stab of jealousy at hearing the name of her newly betrothed. "Hang on; I've heard that name before. She's mentioned a Severus somebody or other. Old teacher, war hero, you used to mention him."

"The one and the same." Harry said. He suspected he knew where this conversation was going and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Snape may be a sarcastic git sometimes but he was prepared to do right for Hermione and abide the marriage law. David on the other hand had balked at committing to her after three year of being together. Hermione did seem like she was happy at least getting to know Snape. She talked endlessly about the potions he was teaching her to make and how intelligent their conversation was. They had only argued over a few things and according to Hermione they were healthy debates over the properties of certain ingredients or why chick flicks are good movies too.

"That's really strange. I'll never understand how things work in your world." David said.

That comment raised Harry's hackles considerably. "You could have, you know."

David shuffled his feet and looked away from Harry. "I know. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to see if there was a chance that I might win her back. I do love her. I made a mistake letting her go. Do you think she's – err, does she mention me?"

_Yeah, with tears in her eyes every time, _Harry thought. "I don't want her to get hurt by you again David." Harry said protectively.

"And this nasty old teacher of yours would never hurt her?" David snapped.

Harry thought about it. And the truth was that he didn't think Snape ever would. "Not _intentionally_ he wouldn't." Harry said stressing the word intentionally.

"So you're saying I hurt Hermione on purpose?" David demanded angrily.

Harry sighed deeply, beginning to get exasperated. "I'm not saying that exactly. But you should have considered the position she was in and you didn't. You just said you didn't want kids and even if you did you wouldn't want to raise them in a magical world. Sounds like a deal breaker to me."

"Well, I was wrong. I want to make it up to her and I want to know if I have a chance."

"I can't tell you if you have a chance or not. You'll have to talk to Hermione but I'm warning you –"

David interrupted, "Yeah, yeah, I know you'll kick my ass if I hurt her again."

"Sure, I'll do that but I was going to say don't be surprised if she turns you down." Harry finished.

David stared at Harry for a moment. He was confident Hermione would not want to turn him down. After all, he was going offer her everything she had ever wanted from him, and should have done in the first place. Then, making his decision to at least try, he nodded curtly at Harry and walked away.

Harry went inside the store and bought four giant bags of crisps all in different flavors all the while debating on whether he should tell Hermione about his encounter with David. In the end he decided not to. He didn't want to plant seeds of doubt in her mind when she was just beginning to turn into her old self again. He would let David ruin things on his own if that's what he wanted to do. Harry was not going to get involved unless it was to hex a Muggle.

*************************************************************************************

Hermione stood over a bubbling cauldron in Severus' lab. Over the last few weeks he had taken great pains to show her how to make wolfsbane. She had loved every moment of being under his tutelage again. Severus was quite a pleasant teacher when he was willing to be. He had an immense amount of patience which Hermione ascribed to two things. One, he was in a much more relaxed state of mind being free from the war, and two, if she messed up the potion he would be out a lot of money for the ingredients so he wanted it to be right.

Severus approached the potion and stood over Hermione's shoulder as she turned the stirring rod three last times. As a student Hermione would have started to get nervous with him so close but now it was pleasant and comforting to have him there. Any nervous feelings she might have felt were because she liked him there now.

"There, it's finished." Hermione removed the rod from the potion and set it on the work table. The potion had a light blue hue and was smoking slightly just as it was supposed to.

Severus filled a vial full of the potion and inspected it closely against the light coming through the basements high cellar windows. "It appears to be adequate."

Hermione looked at him dumbfounded. _It was perfect! _She was about to speak when she saw the corners of his mouth lift into a small smile and dark eyes sparkled betraying the tiny bit of mirth he was hiding. He was teasing her and he was actually very impressed with her first attempt at wolfsbane. He would be able to sell this batch. Even Severus had not been able to brew a perfect batch his first time.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and began to fill the rest of the vials with the potion. "I suppose adequate is as grand of a compliment I will ever get out of you."

"You did very well and you know you did. I would only be stating the obvious and as such would unnecessarily inflate your ego." He said lightly.

Hermione laughed. "You are the king of the backhanded compliment you know that right?"

"And you are the queen." He said matter-of-factly. Hermione smiled and washed her hands after she corked the last vial. "Well, your Highness, I think we are finished in here."

Severus looked around him. The shelves were full of the week's potions all ready to be boxed and delivered. It was only Thursday evening. Normally he wouldn't reach this point until late Saturday night. With Hermione's help he had just finished two days early. Maybe he did need an assistant; although he couldn't imagine working with anyone besides Hermione.

"Are you hungry?" Severus asked taking her hand to lead her up to the kitchen.

"I am." Hermione said and then she smacked her head with her hand. "But it's Thursday. I always have dinner with Harry and Ginny on Thursdays, remember?"

Severus did remember her telling him that over one of their many conversations over the last few weeks and it was one of the things he learned about her. He had also learned that she didn't like any food that had ground beef in it unless it was a hamburger, and that she really loved Brussels sprouts. He also knew that her favorite color was green which made him happy because he was partial to the color as well. He had told Hermione the whole Rita Skeeter story, which she found extremely amusing. Hermione mentioned that she had a pretty fantastic Rita story herself but wasn't ready to tell it yet. She said it was such a good story she wanted to save it for a special occasion.

"I do remember. It's a shame I was hoping to spend some more time with you this evening." Severus said once they reached the top of the stairs.

Hermione looked at him slightly disappointed. She really wanted to stay with him too but she had been really busy over the last few weeks getting to know Severus, brewing potions, and working so she wasn't able to see her friends as much as usual. She really was torn until…

"You could come with me you know." Hermione said hopefully.

Severus' eyes darkened and he frowned with distaste as if she had suggested he go bed Rita Skeeter rather than go to dinner with his pseudo lover and her friends.

"Come on Severus. You can't avoid them forever. They are always going to be my friends and that's the end of the story. I am fully resigned to the fact that I will have to visit with the Malfoys. I may not like it but I will make the best of it. I know they are different now, I see Draco all the time and he is perfectly cordial." Hermione insisted.

Severus weighed his options. He could spend the night alone with nothing to do, no potions to brew, and think about being with Hermione, or, he could suck it up, be a man, and actually just be with her even if it is going to be with the boy wonder and his red-headed sidekick. Severus had to admit that he much preferred the replacement of Ron Weasley with Ginny as the third of the golden trio. Severus thought that the youngest male Weasley was a first class ignoramus. He had always found Ginny to be intelligent, witty, and engaging though. She was a much better friend for Hermione too.

"Fine, I'll go." He said with a great air of defeat.

"Oh stop it. You say that is if I am leading you to the gallows."

"You are." He said lacing his fingers through hers and bending over to kiss the top of her head.

Hermione smiled and sighed. She was beginning to think that she was ready for him to move a little bit further. David was still lingering in the back of her mind but every time he touched her she felt a spark of something deep inside her. It was faint but it was there and as every day went by it felt closer and closer to breaking free. Hermione recognized the feeling as growing attraction and affection for him and she was longing for the moment when it turned into a flame.

Severus looked down at Hermione for a moment. He really liked her chocolate eyes. They were always so animated and inviting. When they had first started seeing each other they were lacking some of the luster he saw in them now. He took as a sign that she was getting over her ex-boyfriend, but he also knew it had a little to do with learning potions again. Hermione thrived in an academic environment and Severus believed that she would make a wonderful teacher if she was inclined to pursue that path.

Above all though, he thought she was very beautiful. He never thought he would consider any woman besides Lily beautiful, but Hermione had won him over. She was natural and easy in her demeanor. Lily had been easygoing to for the most part but she was aware that she was pretty and she reveled in it. Hermione had no clue that she was attractive and to Severus that was her most redeeming feature.

Reaching up with one hand he traced a finger along her jaw eventually resting it under chin and applying gentle pressure so that she was looking directly up at him. He leaned his head towards hers just a fraction of an inch and he felt her suck in a breath and hold it.

"You're really lovely when you smile." Severus said his face close to hers.

"Thank you. So are you." She whispered. He was so near she could see the lines around his irises where his eyes turned from a very dark brown to black. From a distance the difference was virtually indistinguishable. Hermione was convinced that he was about to kiss her but instead he brushed his thumb over her lips, dropped his hand and stood up straight again. Hermione nearly growled in frustration which surprised her. She didn't even realize how much she was anticipating the kiss until it didn't come.

Severus was frustrated too. He was dangerously close to kissing her but at the last second had lost his nerve. _What the hell is your problem? _He berated himself. _It's been almost four weeks since you started seeing her, you're going to marry the girl so stop being such a damn prude, most couples would be shagging each other senseless by now. I really need to grow a pair._

Severus wanted to kiss her, he really did but she was the first woman he had wanted to kiss that he really liked in years and for some reason that scared the shit out of him. Trying to shake of the moment he offered her his arm.

"You know where we're going so…" He said still feeling like an idiot.

Hermione almost laughed out loud. He _did_ want to kiss her, she could tell, and he was embarrassed. It was very cute, if anything related to Severus could be considered cute. She might have to help him along if he was going to be shy. Taking his arm she apparated them away.

When they regained their balance Severus saw they were in a very dark alley. He raised an eyebrow as he looked around. "Where are we?"

"Gloucester." Hermione said looking at her watch. "Harry and Ginny will be here any minute now. We found this pub that just around the corner after a Quidditch match about two years ago. David was with us and he --," Hermione stopped talking after her slip. She didn't think Severus wanted to hear about what David had done after his first Quidditch match. "In any case, Harry, Ginny, and I have been coming here every Thursday since. It's a Muggle place. Obviously."

Before Severus could say anything Harry and Ginny arrived with a crack, and Ginny swooned a little once she landed. "Oy," she said, "apparating while pregnant is not pleasant. We're going to have to find a new place to meet, somewhere closer to home. Professor Snape!"

Ginny brightened upon seeing Severus next to Hermione. Severus was happy for her suggestion to find a new location for the Thursday night evening out. Especially if he was going to be a part of it because this place clearly had memories that he either didn't want to spoil or didn't want Hermione to remember, he couldn't decide which.

"Please call me Severus. I am no longer your professor." He said extending a hand to Ginny and then to Harry, "Potter."

"Harry." Harry replied shaking his hand surprised to see him. Harry was actually glad he was there because he would be able to see him interact with Hermione. His conversation with David earlier that day was weighing on his mind.

"Harry then." Severus said a little uncomfortably.

The group made their way out of the dark alley to the pub. It was a typical British pub with a sign hanging above the door bearing the words, the Chipper Tarragon, which made Severus snicker. Hermione noticed him laugh.

"I know, it's basically called the Happy Dragon, that's why we picked it the first time, the name." Hermione said taking his hand to lead him through the door.

Ginny smiled at the pair holding hands and nudged Harry pointing at their joined hands. Harry looked at them thoughtfully. He hadn't even told Ginny about his talk with David because he knew that she would immediately tell Hermione. Harry decided that if Hermione looked happy with Severus and appeared to be well on the mend from her break up with David, he would contact her ex and tell him to leave her alone. Hermione didn't need the added drama of making a choice between the two.

Once they were seated and happily nursing beers or in Ginny's case a ginger ale, Severus began to relax. Neither Harry nor Ginny acted as if their old potions professor was at the table with them. They were treating him as just another one of their friends and Severus was grateful. He wasn't expecting any deep and meaningful questions but he wasn't expecting such happy chatter about work and their other mutual acquaintances. Only Harry on occasion would watch Severus intently. Severus could tell that he was watching their every move and filing the information away. He imagined it was probably out of protectiveness for Hermione and tried to ignore it.

Severus draped an arm on the bench seat behind Hermione. After awhile he started absentmindedly rubbing her arm just below her shoulder. He noticed Harry watch for Hermione's reaction at his touch. Hermione had leaned into him just a touch when he had put his arm around her. Harry smiled very faintly and went back to his food, apparently satisfied with what he saw.

"Hermione tells me your potions business is going well." Harry said.

"Yes, it's going well. Especially now that I have had a little help getting ahead on my orders." He said smiling at Hermione affectionately. Hermione beamed in return.

"Yes, it's been wonderful learning new things again. I didn't realize how much I was missing it until I started brewing again." Hermione commented.

Harry just laughed and rolled his eyes. The rest of the evening passed in amicable conversation until Ginny yawned widely.

"Excuse me, I just get tired earlier than I used to. Hermione, I think you're right it might be twins." Ginny said nonchalantly. Harry's eyes widened in shock and fear as they always did when somebody suggested he had twins on the way. Severus just laughed and watched the couple as Harry helped Ginny out of the booth. Severus and Hermione both each privately wondered what it would be like when Hermione finally got pregnant.

After many hugs and goodbyes between Harry, Ginny, and Hermione they all apparated away. Severus offered to take Hermione home so they arrived in her kitchen just a moment later.

"You acted as if you weren't going to see your friends in years, all that hugging." Severus commented drily settling into a kitchen chair as Hermione put the kettle on for tea.

"There was a point not too long ago when we didn't know when we would see each other again. It was like that during the war and it was like that before I left for Australia. At the time I didn't know if I was going to come back." She said.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean anything like that."

Hermione plunked a cup of tea in front of him. "I know you didn't. I just think that's when we got in the habit of always hugging each other goodbye. I love my friends and I want them to know that, so I am not afraid to show it. I hug you when I say goodbye." Hermione blushed fiercely at the insinuation that she loved him like she did her friends. Severus didn't say anything else about it.

After a few minutes of quietly sipping their tea Severus spoke. "It's still early, do you want to watch a movie or something?"

He still wasn't quite ready for the evening to end. He was determined not to go home until he kissed her.

"Sure," Hermione said happily putting their dishes in the sink. "I also have some paint samples I wanted to show you. I was thinking about the color that might look good in your house."

"As long as they aren't varying shades of red and gold I can probably live with it." Severus said sarcastically getting up to follow Hermione out.

"Of course not, Severus. They're all varying shades of pink. You should know me better than tha-, oh wow they're beautiful!" Hermione gasped as she walked into the living room. Sitting on her coffee table just next to the paint samples was a large and lovely arrangement of all of her favorite flowers. There were daisies, lilies, and tulips of varying colors nestled into a crystal vase with vines etched into the glass. Hermione looked at Severus with glowing eyes. "You shouldn't have!"

Severus scowled as he took in the arrangement. "I didn't."

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: We all need to send a bowl of chicken soup to my beta whoopsydaisy because she is feeling poorly, despite that she managed to get this back to me really fast so I could post!**

**Thanks to all my reviewers, readers, etc… I was thinking that I wanted Ginny to have some sort of occupation but I have seen my idea done a million times before. Please send me your ideas for what you think her job should be.**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: There are only so many ways I can say I am not JKR.

Life For Rent

Chapter 10

_Previously on Life for Rent:_

_Hermione gasped as she walked into the living room. Sitting on her coffee table just next to the paint samples was a large and lovely arrangement of all of her favorite flowers. There were daisies, lilies, and tulips of varying colors nestled into a crystal vase with vines etched into the glass. Hermione looked at Severus with glowing eyes. "You shouldn't have!"_

_Severus scowled as he took in the arrangement. "I didn't."_

*************************************************************************************

"What?"

Severus was scowling at the flower arrangement situated on Hermione's coffee table. No, he didn't buy her the flowers, he hadn't even thought of buying her flowers and he wasn't sure which made him angrier, that fact that somebody else did or the fact that he hadn't considered it. _I'm going to make a mockery out of this relationship the whole way through aren't? _He reproved himself. _Maybe they're from her mother for a special occasion I don't know about. _

Hermione was looking at Severus curiously to see if he was being serious. He was looking at the flower arrangement with an obscene amount of distaste and then it dawned on Hermione who the flowers might be from. Very few people in the world knew what Hermione's favorite flowers were. Hermione approached the bouquet with a loudly thumping heart and rocks tumbling around in her stomach. If they were from David she didn't know what she was going to do. She didn't want to upset Severus but she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about David's intentions. With a shaking hand Hermione snatched the card off of the little plastic holder sticking out of the middle of the flowers.

Severus took two long quiet strides behind her so that he was close enough to read the card over her shoulder. He realized that he was being impertinent but his curiosity was getting the better of him. He was beginning to feel the tide of fury boiling low in his belly and he wanted to know what he was up against. Hermione was a good match for him and didn't want to lose her. He might not have professed his love or even kissed her yet but even he was clairvoyant enough to see they had a future.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope you are doing well. I realize that big and pretty flower arrangements are a cliché way of apologizing to someone but without actually seeing you in person it's at least a start. I made a terrible mistake letting you go that night. If you would be willing to see me again I think we would have a chance at working things out. _

_I realize that you are with someone now who is prepared to give you all the things I should have offered but you really don't know him, do you? We have almost three years of history together and I am an idiot for letting it go to waste. _

_Please call me._

_Yours always,_

_David._

Hermione had read the letter twice through before she realized that Severus was standing over her shoulder. Quickly folding the card and stuffing it in her pocket, she turned on him glowering.

"I apologize. That was absolutely none of my business." He said trying to keep the anger out of his voice. Severus was not upset with Hermione by any means but with this parsimonious weasel who thought he could write on note and send flowers to win _his_ Hermione back. He was also frightened that it would work.

Hermione's expression softened after a moment. Severus' nebulous eyes were deadpanned and unreadable. Hermione could tell by his clenched hands and jaw that he was fighting fiercely to reign in his temper. She was angry that he had read the card over her shoulder but she had to see it from his perspective.

"No, it's alright. If I hid something like this from you it would be very dishonest of me." She said blandly sitting down on the couch.

Severus couldn't take it anymore. "What are you going to do?" He snapped with just a little more venom than he intended.

Hermione narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't know. Ignore them? Cut them up and send them back? What do you think I should do?"

She said the last bit sarcastically but Severus couldn't help but think of a few creative things for her to do so that David would get the hint that she wasn't interested. Then again, he really didn't know if she wasn't interested.

"Do what you think is right."

Hermione was expecting a lot of responses but none of them came close to the one he just offered.

"I mean, he is right, you do have a past."

"Severus, I may have a past with him but it was a short three years. What is that compared to the next eighty or hundred years that is _our_ future? And, we have a contract together." Hermione said. She was calm on the outside but her insides were twisting and turning in spiral of agonizing indecision. A part of her really wanted to see David again just so she could reject him but another part of her knew that she might not. She had a contract with Severus and she would honor it. _Cripes Hermione, it's more than a contract and you know it, when did you become so callous?_

Severus laced his fingers through Hermione's and stared at there entwined hands for a moment. Soon his gazed moved to the flowers and his expression darkened again. Seeing it Hermione whipped out her wand and vanished the flowers.

"Gone. Done." She said.

"I hope so." Severus replied honestly. The mood for the night was spoiled for him. He promised himself that he wasn't going to leave her side that night until he'd gotten a kiss but now he didn't want to kiss her when she was thinking about David. But maybe it would take her mind off of David.

"Look Severus, I'm not going to lie to you. If David continues to pursue me I am going to have to see him to tell him that it is over. You need to know that." Hermione had made her decision to stay with Severus pretty easily because she knew in soul that was the right thing to do but she wasn't expecting the decision to break her heart all over again. She thought she was finished saying good bye but apparently she wasn't. Hermione really hated herself for having those feelings, too. David had really hurt her and it made her angry that she he could still get to her.

"I hate not being able to control how I feel." She spat out unexpectedly. Cringing at her comment she shook her head as if doing so would somehow lay all her jumbled thoughts into some sort of rational and discernable order.

Severus didn't say anything for awhile. In a rare moment of what he considered weakness he allowed his feelings and emotions to wash over him completely so that he might make heads or tails of the situation. If he gave Hermione her freedom it would hurt him but it would be the right thing to do. That didn't mean he was going to stand idly by.

"I won't prevent you from seeing David. I realize that what we have is more of a contract than anything else, but I won't allow our contract to be broken so effortlessly." Severus said staring into her eyes trying to convey it was because he was willing to fight for and not just because of the contract. He fought down the urge to use Legilimency on her and bit the inside of his cheek while he waited for a response.

Hermione let out a long slow breath. Severus appeared willing to fight for her and David was too little too late. With all the emotional strength she could muster Hermione immured her feelings for David into an alcove in the recesses of her heart. She was sure that those feelings would escape from time to time until the memories weren't so fresh, but for now she just wanted to explore what could be with the strong, intelligent, and most importantly, magical man in front of her.

Hermione reached out a tentative hand and stroked the crest of his jaw just below his ear where she could see the muscles clenched tightest. She leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to his. Her lips were warm and soft just as he'd expected and the desire to probe further nearly overwhelmed him but he kept it simple. Just one short soft kiss and she pulled back.

Hermione eyes had fluttered halfway closed the moment her lips touched his. His lips were a little dry but they were soft as well. Hermione watched for Severus' reaction through half-closed eyes. Severus' lips were tingling for more and before he realized what he was doing before she realized what he was doing he leaned forward and captured her mouth with his.

This time Severus leaned into the kiss and moved his lips over hers. He brushed her top lip with the tip of his tongue and Hermione responded by opening her mouth to him and gently tasting him. He tasted like tea and something unfamiliar that Hermione was sure was his uniqueness, his flavor that she would only be able to describe as _Severus._ Severus reached with both hands, one to wrap in her hair and the other he used to caress her face as he deepened the kiss briefly before pulling away so they could breathe.

"Yeah, so uh… no competition." Hermione said stupidly. She was floored by the kiss, it was intense and passionate and it felt more _adult_ than any kiss she had ever had. That was the only way she could explain it, everyone she had kissed up to that point seemed so immature in comparison to the kiss she just received from Severus.

Severus twisted a lock of Hermione's hair around his fingers. Her eyes were blazing and she had a shocked look on her face as if she was surprised at the kiss. Severus could sympathize he hadn't expected it to be that good either and he could feel the effects of it lingering in his nether regions.

"I really like your hair." He said surprising them both. "When you were a kid it was the way I remembered you, the bushy haired know-it-all. I would never tease you about your hair now though, it suits you."

"I'm pretty sure you still think of me as the bushy haired know-it-all," Hermione said tugging at her hair and pulling a piece of it in front of her eyes. "You can't honestly say you like it like this better than how I had it the day I first met with you. David would always call my hair…"

Hermione trailed off at the dark look in Severus' eyes at the mention of his name. That was the second time she had referred to him on top of the flowers being sent. That was a little too much for one night.

"Damn it. I'm sorry." Hermione said sadly as Severus removed his hand from her hair.

"Don't be. Whatever he said about your hair was probably wrong. I like it." Severus said standing up and stretching.

Hermione sighed dispiritedly. "You don't go round mentioning Lily every two seconds. I would probably get annoyed if you did that, and you are annoyed, I can tell."

"Well, I wasn't annoyed, but I was on my way. Now that you mention Lily I would say I have reached that point."

"Why is that?" Hermione asked in shock.

Severus debated for a moment before answering her. This conversation would probably end badly but in the light of recent events with David it was best if he laid his past bare and get it over with.

"A few weeks ago when you said you kind of understood how I felt about Lily you had something in your tone that said you really didn't. I would like an explanation." Severus said perching himself on the edge of the couch at an angle so he was looking at her, and sitting, but still managed to tower over her.

Hermione was slightly intimidated but if they were going to fight about this eventually there was no point in waiting. "Fine, I'll tell you what I meant. I understand that you have never been in love with another woman because sometimes that happens. But you were just a child. You never gave anyone else a chance. And no offense to Lily or anything but don't you think it was ridiculous that she never forgave you for calling her a Mudblood? You were fifteen and angry! I have forgiven Draco for calling me that name and we were never even friends. She ran off and married James, _your_ enemy and never spoke to you again. I think she was being obstinate and I think your obsession with her memory is just a little unhealthy."

Hermione crossed her arms and stared at him in defiance as if daring him to disagree. She believed that she was right and nothing would change her mind. Inside she was a mass of trembling jelly but on the outside she maintained her calm and cool exterior. He was not her potions master anymore and she was free to share her opinions as she saw fit.

Severus stood up once more and turned away from Hermione. The girl had done it again. She made him feel ridiculous for harboring those feelings for Lily all those years. And then she had the nerve to stare him down as challenging him to argue. Well, he wouldn't argue with her. He _couldn't_ argue with her.

"I don't mention Lily because I don't think about her as much as I used to. I don't like hearing about David because I know he can swoop in take you back at any moment. I actually enjoy your company Hermione, and it is turning into more. I am not always the confident man that you see. When it comes to matters of the heart I fear I am as weak they come." Severus admitted still not looking at her.

Hermione had felt a small explosion in her lower belly at the mention that something more he mentioned. She also felt profoundly relieved that he wasn't going to start arguing with her. Hermione believed that she had suffered enough drama to last several lifetimes just in the last four years alone. She was prepared to fight with him but really didn't want to. His confession astonished her though and she really had no idea what to say.

"We are all fools in love." Hermione quoted absentmindedly.

Severus turned to look at her for a moment a perplexed expression on his face. And then he let out a sharp burst of laughter at the expression on her face.

"What?"

"Nothing. I have no idea why I am laughing." He said pulling her off the couch into a hug. "I just don't understand why I never feel compelled to argue with you. I really want to; I just can't bring myself to."

This time Hermione laughed, "Oh you will. I haven't had a chance to show you those paint colors yet."

*************************************************************************************

The next day Ginny and Hermione were sitting outside of Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor waiting for Harry to join them for lunch. Ginny had insisted they have dessert first.

"My mum was telling me that when she was pregnant with Fred and George she craved sweets and salty snacks all the time too. She said that was the one pregnancy she couldn't gain weight on because those boys would eat her from the inside out if she didn't constantly have something going down the hatch. Now that I know its twins I wonder if they will be just like Fred and George." She said taking a huge bite of her triple chocolate cherry meltdown.

Hermione just sipped on her raspberry soda and giggled.

Ginny watched Hermione carefully for a minute and then she threw her spoon back in the bowl. "Hermione Granger! You got some last night!"

"I did no such thing! What makes you say that?" Hermione said.

"Oh, I don't know the dreamy expression, the smile that hasn't left your face, maybe that's why?" Ginny said picking up her spoon again.

Hermione took a long drink of her soda preparing for the interrogation. "When Severus and I got to my house last night we found a huge arrangement of flowers in my living room."

Ginny's eyes widened and she beckoned for her to continue.

"They were all my favorites and it was a really gorgeous bouquet." Hermione said purposely dragging out the details. "And they were from David."

"What? Are you telling me that you're happy because you threw Severus over and went back to David?" Ginny practically shrieked. That was exactly the reaction Hermione was hoping for. And Harry had chosen that exact moment to arrive.

"You didn't Hermione! I told David yesterday that—"

"You talked to David yesterday?" Hermione demanded angrily, "And you didn't tell me? You knew he was going to try to win me back?"

Harry shuffled from foot to foot. "Well, he sort of asked me if you liked Severus and if he still had a chance."

"And you said yes?" She temper rising. Hermione could feel the heat rising in her face centimeter by centimeter.

"Not exactly!" exclaimed Harry holding his hands up innocently. "I just told him not to be surprised if you turn him down, that's all! But I see that you didn't so…"

"Harry James Potter! I can't believe you would hide that from me. I was confused enough as it is and now this. You should have just told him to leave me alone."

"Wait Hermione, so you _didn't _get back together with him?" Ginny asked.

"No, Ginny. I ignored the card and I vanished the flowers. Severus and I had a long heart to heart last night and we got a lot of things out in the open. I was thinking about _him_ just now, not David. Severus and I finally kissed last night." Hermione said still seething at Harry for talking to David about her.

"Ooh! I want all the juicy details." Ginny said scooting closer to Hermione.

"Hermione, I don't need to hear about that. And I can't believe you're mad at me for not telling you about David. I didn't know what he was going to do. I was trying to keep from complicating things." Harry insisted trying to get Hermione to look at him.

"Fine Harry I believe that you were trying to protect me in your own injudicious way but it would have been nice to have some warning you know? Like "Hey Hermione, David wants you back so if you start seeing signs of it be prepared' would have been nice. Do you how hard it was to read a letter from David with Severus looming over my shoulder reading my every reaction? He was actually jealous!" Hermione was fighting to keep her voice down.

Ginny was thrilled at this new development. "He was jealous? Did you guys get in a fight? Is that why you kissed, to make up? You really didn't do anything more than kiss? What did the note from David say? What did Severus say? What did _you _say?"

Hermione laughed at Ginny's barrage of questions. "I don't want to get into details but I will tell you this, Severus said that he was willing to fight for me and that made my heart melt. That's why we kissed."

"So you aren't going back with David?" Harry asked tentatively.

"No and since you're obviously chums with him still why don't you run along and tell him for me." Hermione said sarcastically.

"Geez Hermione. I said I was sorry. But seriously, what are you going to tell David?" He asked.

Hermione sighed in frustration. "I don't know Harry. I think I'm going to just ignore it and hope it goes away. I have no idea if that's the right thing to do. Severus hates it when I slip and mention David and if I see him again it will just make it worse."

"I don't know if that's the right thing to do, Hermione." Ginny offered, "but I understand. What else did you talk about?"

"Nothing really." Hermione wasn't going to reveal his confession about being weak when it comes to matters of the heart, not that she really agreed with him on that point, and she wasn't about to mention what she said about Lily to Harry. Somehow Hermione didn't think that he would like it and it was a conversation for another time and place.

"I want details on the kiss." Ginny said plaintively, and turning to Harry she said, "and you can just sit there and deal with it."

Hermione giggled at Ginny's no-nonsense tone. "Well, at first it was just a quick kiss, nothing more than a peck really but then we really kissed and, I don't know Ginny, it was just different. It was like the difference between kissing a boy and a man is the only way I can describe it. I mean there was so much emotion there."

Hermione's eyes clouded over again at the memory.

"Wow, maybe I need to find a brooding and mysterious older man to try that out on." Ginny said seriously.

"Hey! I'm right here!" Harry said ruefully.

"Yeah, so?" Ginny said seriously again, and then the two girls both broke out in laughter at Harry who sat there scowling at them both.

"Oh, you know I love you." Ginny said leaning across the table to give Harry a quick kiss.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Thanks to my beta whoopsydaisy she was a big help in this chapter. Your reviews are great and I appreciate the advice you all have for me as well. **


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I woke up this morning and I was still me.

Life For Rent

Chapter 11

Severus awoke early and in a foul mood. The night before had ended on a somewhat high note what with kissing Hermione and not fighting, but once he was home alone he began to brood over the implications the flowers had for their relationship. He kept envisioning Hermione summoning the flowers back from wherever she vanished them to and staring at them with adoration in her eyes as she reread the short letter that came with them.

Severus knew he was being ridiculous and should give Hermione more credit than that but his fragile self-esteem refused to allow him to rest. He was far used to being betrayed and hurt by those whom he had been loyal to and it frustrated him to no end that there was a possibility it could happen again. His normal reaction would be to retreat into himself and end all associations with Hermione. It would be far easier to withstand their parting if it happened sooner rather than later. But the more Severus thought about giving her up so that her choice would be easy the more he loathed the idea of being matched with someone he was less compatible with. He told Hermione that he was not going to allow their contract to be absolved so readily and what he meant was that he would fight for her.

Now the only thing left to do was make some sort of gesture that signified his growing attachment, if not affection, for her. His first banal instinct was to push their physical relationship because that was one way he knew of showing affection, and for him his intentions moved far beyond kissing almost as soon as their lips first made contact. Hermione, however, might not see it that way and just by nature of their age difference, he assumed she'd had far fewer sexual partners than he and would not respond positively to his sexual advances so soon.

Severus pounded his fists against his pillow in frustration, his discomfiture only increasing the longer he dwelled on the situation. He was a brilliant mind, and accomplished potion's master, and a successful spy but he couldn't figure out what to do to charm a twenty-one year old girl that he was already engaged to. Severus growled angrily, just when he thought he had reached rock bottom some ass-faced prick had to toss him a bloody shovel.

Sending her flowers was definitely out of the question even if it was his modus operandi to send heavily clichéd gifts to women. No, he needed to be more creative for Hermione to be impressed. She was the type of person who would prefer something unique and practical at the same time. But what, he had no idea. Rolling over to pick up his watch and check the time he sighed hopelessly. He would be seeing her again in less than eight hours. That was nowhere near enough time for him to come up with something extraordinary. The only person Severus could think of that would know Hermione well enough to be of any help was Potter and Severus figured it would be easier to sell water to a drowning man than to meet with Potter in private and maintain his civility at the same time.

*************************************************************************************

Hermione left her lunch with Harry and Ginny in a much worse mood than when she had arrived. She was not really angry with Harry anymore for not telling her he'd spoken with David. She knew Harry well enough to know that he meant no harm. That didn't stop her from making it clear in no uncertain terms that he was never to do that again. No, that was not why she was in a pestilential mood; it was because David had visited her parents.

Toward the end of her lunch Hermione received an owl from her mother inquiring as to whether or not she would be willing to give David another chance. Hermione had not neglected to inform her parents' that they had broken up but she spared them most of the details. She also, quite intentionally left out the bit about the marriage law, and she most assuredly had not told them about Severus yet. Now she had a triad of quandaries to take care of. First she needed to warn her parents that she was with someone new, secondly, she needed to tell Severus that he was going to have meet her parents soon, and thirdly, she was going to have to call David to tell him to knock it off. And that left a fourth problem; she was going to have to tell Severus that she was going to have to see David.

In an uncharacteristic and probably painful bit of honesty Severus had admitted that he was weak when it came to matters of the heart. Hermione felt a small explosion in her gut that spread outward warming her when she thought about his confession. He'd also said that he enjoyed spending time with her and his stony silence regarding David signified jealousy which, for Severus, was basically a sonorous and barefaced affirmation that he had feelings for her. Hermione knew that he had probably exhausted his ability to be open and honest with her for a long time. She feared that it was common courtesy that had forced him to answer all her questions and respond to all her comments with honesty. She believed that he would continue to do so as long as she was rude enough to continue prying but she worried that would make him resentful. Hermione was already plying him with incessant questions during their potions study sessions and he was patient enough, it would be her gift to him to let him say what else he wanted to say at his own pace. With that in mind, Hermione vowed to ask him nothing personal for awhile, or to share information that would prompt him to make a confession like the one from the night before.

Taking a fortifying breath Hermione picked up her telephone and dialed a number that had become as familiar to her over the last few years as her own.

"Hello?"

Hermione closed her eyes at the sound of his voice. Try as she might she could not help savoring it's sweet familiarity for just a moment before she spoke. "David, we need to talk."

"Hermione! I am so glad you called. Did you get my flowers?" David asked and even through the distant channels of the phone lines Hermione could tell that his hopes of their reunion were skyrocketing.

Exhaling deeply Hermione answered his questions with patience. He was not going to make this easy for her. "David, I did get them and I also know that you talked to Harry and my parents. Now you need to talk to me. I don't want to drag this out David so listen carefully; we will not be getting back together."

Silence greeted her and she was about to ask if he was still there before she heard him take a breath and speak quietly.

"Hermione, give me a chance please. I know we can work something out that will be able to keep you in the magical realm. I should have committed to you right away but I just freaked out. I miss you so much and I love you. You can't possibly tell me that you would rather be with your old teacher over me." David's voice rose in pitch the longer he talked.

Hermione noted the rising tenor of David's voice which immediately made her think of Severus' deep baritone intonation. Imagining Severus' voice whispering in her ear strengthened Hermione's resolved. Her resistance to David's pleas surprised even herself as she calmly spoke her next words. "David, I'm truly sorry but it is over between us. In the end you'll be happier if you find someone that you don't have to hide from your family and that you can relate to. It really won't work between us."

"But Hermione--,"

"No buts, David. Now please leave my friends, my parents, and me alone." She said as gently as possible. "Goodbye, David."

Hermione hung up the phone without waiting for a response. As soon as she replaced the phone back on its cradle she felt like a coward for doing that over the phone. Her Gryffindor courage had fled her and she felt immensely guilty for letting him down over the phone. It was probably for the best that she not see him but it still felt wrong. She might as well have taped a note to his door. But what was done was done and hopefully she would never have to do something like that again. She wished she could just call her parents and tell them what she had to but that would not fly with them.

*************************************************************************************

"What movie did you bring tonight?" Severus asked Hermione as he pulled the baked chicken out of the oven.

Hermione was happily preparing a salad in his kitchen marveling in how well they worked together and shared a space. They both maneuvered around each other in a happy dance that spoke volumes about their compatibility.

"I brought Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon." She said. "Have you seen it?"

"No I haven't, I confess I don't know it all." He responded.

"Hm, I have not seen either." Hermione said cavalierly as she put the salad on the table. It had looked full of action and it was a foreign film so she didn't even know what to expect. "I thought it looked interesting. It had several good reviews."

Severus didn't comment. He really didn't care what the movie was about as long as he was watching it with Hermione. Severus had fruitlessly wracked his brain trying to figure out what he could do for her or get her that would show his feelings but had continuously come up short. The least he could do was be an agreeable man for her. Even if he hated the movie he would refrain from telling her so. The quality of the movie was the least of his worries at the moment. Hermione was in a particularly somber mood and she was being unusually quiet.

"What is on your mind, Hermione?" Severus asked as he poured them both a glass of red wine and then took his seat.

Hermione started at his words. She was so obvious sometimes and it annoyed her that she wore her sensibilities like a cloak for the world to see.

"What makes you think there is something on my mind?" She asked foolishly regretting it the instant she did.

Severus sighed; she was clearly going to be difficult. A minute amount of fear pricked in the recesses of his brain at her unwillingness to immediately volunteer information. Thoughts of her returning to David flashed through his mind once again and he fought hurriedly to suppress them.

"Don't be obtuse, Hermione. It is quite obvious something is weighing on you. You have barely spoken two words strung together since you arrived." _Nice, Severus, insult her that will get her to open up._

Hermione looked at him critically for a moment. "Obtuse?"

"Forgive me that was a poor choice of words." He said taking a large bite of chicken and chewing slowly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "But you believe them nonetheless. Sometimes you are quite obvious too." She didn't know why she was being so defensive other than the fact that she didn't like being called obtuse, even if what slightly true in this instance. She did still have her pride.

Severus looked chagrinned at her comment. He was very adept at hiding his feelings except when they were disdainful, in which case he usually had no problem insulting the person his negative feelings were directed toward. Voldemort and Lily were the only two people he could remember hiding even his negative emotions from.

"Oh, fine." Hermione said giving in, finally. "I spoke with David earlier today."

Severus said nothing but raised one aristocratic eyebrow at her. His eyes betrayed none of the emotion that was broiling inside him. The chicken in his stomach turned to rocks as he imagined her ending it with him right then and there.

"Yes. He had the audacity to visit with my parents and they wrote wanting to know if I was going to give him another chance." Hermione said finishing her wine. She was not very hungry and was therefore probably going to get herself drunk but she poured herself another glass anyway. Severus noted that she was eating little but drinking steadily and that only increased his worry that she was going to say something appallingly like 'it's over.'

"Anyway, I decided that it could not continue so I called him and told him that he needed to stop and accept that things are really over." Hermione said taking a small bite of her chicken. It was delicious but she was too nervous about telling him about meeting her parents to eat. Not for his sake, but for hers. They were still forgiving her for modifying their memories and sending them off to Australia. They constantly fretted over her well-being and safety in the magical world and she was afraid the law would put them out entirely and they would not forgive her for subjecting herself to such Ministerial abuses.

Severus of course didn't know a thing about that and was focusing on what she had just said. The rocks in his stomach were replaced with colliding butterflies as she absorbed the meaning of her words.

"You told him this over the phone? Wherever did your Gryffindor courage go?" Severus said jokingly.

That just irked Hermione though. "Right out the door with your Slytherin subtlety, I guess." Hermione retorted picking up her wine glass again.

"Touché." He said feeling slightly abashed. She had just essentially had to break up with someone she loved for years all over again and he was being an immature prat.

"Listen Severus, you're going to have to meet my parents very soon." Hermione said trying to keep her voice from betraying her nerves. "I think it is best that we act as if we met again and have fallen for each other without the circumstances of the marriage law acting as an impetus. I know David did not tell them about it or else they would have talked to me about it already."

"Why do you insist on keeping the law from them?" He asked, genuinely curious as to why she would lie about something like that.

Hermione took a few moments to explain why she was afraid they would not understand. "I just think it will be easier for them to absorb the news of our relationship if they believe we are a love match. It is going to take them awhile to get past the age difference and the fact that you used to be my professor. If we act as if we are happily in love they will be more likely to let those things go."

"I suppose the fact that I am an ex-Death-Eater is something is another point against me as well?" Severus inquired.

Hermione just shook her head. "No, that will _not_ be an issue. They know nothing about your involvement with Dumbledore's death or your allegiances. They only know that you assisted Harry and are a war hero."

"Small favors." Severus said quietly. The death of Dumbledore was one topic that had failed to come up before now and he was certainly not about to discuss it with her or anyone. In a habitual move of self-preservation Severus cleared his thoughts of all emotion and he could feel the expression leave his eyes as he turned his mind into an impenetrable fortress. Not even Lily's death hurt him the way Dumbledore's did and he prepared himself for the onslaught of questions she was sure to have about it. He would not answer them but he would at least reject her inquiries as politely as possible.

Hermione watched his face turn impassive. She knew that Dumbledore was a very touchy subject and she didn't mean to bring it up so carelessly. Acting as if nothing had happened and that Severus' obsidian eyes didn't just turn cold she moved on with the topic at hand. "So, you're willing to have brunch with my parents next Sunday?"

"Yes. I daresay I am. I believe we have little choice in the matter."

"Oh unclench, Severus. I don't want to talk about Dumbledore and I can't read your mind so you can relax." Hermione said. She noticed his defenses go up and she was in no mood to put up with a cold Severus.

Severus ignored her comment but he did relax a fraction and they finished their meal in silence. Hermione was incredibly tired all of a sudden and was eager to just move on to watching the movie. They had yet to watch a movie in his house and it was a pretty monumental thing because his television was situated in his bedroom.

"Shall we go upstairs then?" Severus asked once they were finished clearing up.

Hermione shifted nervously but nodded her agreement. She was really nervous. Hermione didn't take being invited into his room lightly. The topic of sex had not come up with them, at least overtly, but she realized that he was a man with needs that might be a little different than guys her own age. His age and experience might dictate a more swiftly moving physical relationship than she was used to. She as not opposed to it necessarily since sex was inevitable but the thought did not provide repose for her nerves at all.

Severus took her hand and led her up the stairs. He wished there was room in his living room for the television but there wasn't even electricity in there. It was the one room in the house besides his potions lab that was purely magical and he liked it that way. Hermione obviously was thinking about sex he could pick up on her thoughts like they were a neon sign and it was driving him to distraction. He was not going to push her though, no matter how willing she may appear to be. Severus knew that she was not ready and if they were to go that far she would only be doing it out of a sense of obligation at this point. That was the last thing he wanted.

Severus smiled as Hermione kicked off her shoes and gingerly settled onto his bed as he put the movie in the player. He settled on the bed about a foot away from her and picked up the remote off his bedside table.

"Oh, wait. I almost forgot." Severus said waving his wand quickly. A moment later a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries came flying into the room and settling on his lap.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and much to her delight he had the decency to blush.

"I realize that these are a bit um, well sensual, but you mentioned they were your favorite dessert so I thought we could have them tonight." Severus stammered. "I am not trying to imply anything here."

Hermione laughed. He was truly an enigma. One moment he was forcing her to remember that he was a grown man and then in the next he was stammering like a teen aged boy. She loved getting to know him so intimately and felt a secret thrill that only she could see him acting so adorably foolish sometimes.

"Well, I am very glad you remembered they look delicious." Hermione said reaching for one.

Severus started the movie and kept an eye on it for about fifteen minutes. It was full of action and the story line was quite good. The movie was in Chinese which meant that he had to read the subtitles. He liked subtitles because it made him feel like he was doing something more intelligent than just watching a mind numbing action movie. He felt Hermione reach for another strawberry and turned his gaze in her direction.

The vision of her wrapping her lips around the strawberry and sucking slightly on the end to get the chocolate off was driving him to distraction. Hermione was completely engrossed in the movie and was completely unaware of what she was doing to him. Severus picked up the remote and paused the movie causing her to look at him curiously.

"Something wrong?" She asked innocently.

"Only that I want to kiss you." He said bluntly moving the bowl out of the way and closing the distance between them. He didn't give her a chance to respond. Keeping his hands planted firmly on the bed in between them he leaned over and captured her mouth with his. She was surprised at first but then she responded eagerly moving her lips in motion with his. He prodded gently with his tongue and she acquiesced eagerly. They both tasted like chocolate and strawberries and Hermione reveled again in that flavor she knew was uniquely his. Hermione snaked a hand around his neck and laced her fingers through his hair. She dragged her fingers across his scalp and Severus moaned softly into her mouth.

Severus senses were on fire. No one had ever massaged his head that way before and fireworks were popping in veins as he savored the feel of her fingers on his head. He was thanking his lucky stars that his shampoo formula left his hair so soft and touchable because he didn't know that his head was one of his erogenous zones until then. Severus leaned even closer to Hermione as he deepened the kiss. He kept his hands planted on the bed still but he unconsciously pressed his body against her. Hermione gasped as she felt the full hard length of him against her leg. Even through both their jeans she could feel how warm it was.

Hermione's gasps awakened Severus to how close he had gotten to her and he quickly pulled away. Breathing heavily he turned back to his spot on the bed. Hermione was looking at him, slightly hurt.

"I apologize. I got carried away." He said dragging a hand through his hair.

"No you didn't." Hermione said simply.

Severus looked deep into her eyes. Yes, she probably was willing but he wasn't. He wanted it to be more than sex and he was confident that she would agree when they got past the heat of the moment.

"Can we just go back to the movie?" He asked, almost pleading with her.

Hermione nodded a slightly disappointed look on her face. She moved the bowl of strawberries out of the way and snuggled up against his side. Severus smiled down at her and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

"It's a good movie so far." She said slightly relieved that he had stopped things when he did. She found herself easily aroused by him and was glad he wasn't going to push her because she would have given in.

Severus pressed play on the movie again. He lazily stroked circles on Hermione's arms while he watched the movie. After awhile he felt her lean more heavily into him, her breathing even. Looking down he saw that she had fallen asleep. She looked lovely and innocent in her sleep. Glad she couldn't see him grinning like a love sick puppy he pulled a blanket over her and turning off the television and dimming the lights he lay down next to her and pulled her close. She murmured quietly but then settled against his chest once more. Severus slept more soundly that night than he had in years.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Thanks to whoopsydaisy for being an awesome beta! She is feeling better so we can start sending her chocolate now instead of soup! **

**Thanks for all of my amazing reviewers! I love to hear your comments and I would also like to thank jessirose85 for giving Ginny a job. **


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I'm not JKR

Life For Rent

Chapter 12

Hermione and Severus were sitting in Hermione's office at work wrapping up a quick lunch. Hermione had a lot of book orders to finish and Severus had brought something for her since she wasn't able to get away. Hermione had thought it was very sweet of him but she refrained in telling him so. If she pointed out that his halo was showing he would probably cast it aside and replace it with his horns faster than she could bat an eye. The fact that he brought her lunch when she was stuck in her office spoke volumes about his feelings toward her. Hermione realized that even if Severus didn't. He was just not the type to do the little things for people.

"Thanks for lunch, Severus. I would've had something brought over from the Leaky Cauldron but this was much better." Hermione said appreciatively as she cleared up the remains of tomato bisque. "Today has been so crazy, I am surprised that we have made it the last half hour without someone bar—"

Hermione was cut off by a loud rap on the door. Before she could answer the knock the door burst open and Rita Skeeter of all people barreled into the office practically shouting.

"I demand to know why you only ordered twenty-five copies of my latest book!"

Hermione just rolled her eyes but Rita stared at Severus dumbfounded when she saw him. He was sitting way back in his chair his legs crossed, sipping on tea, and obviously very at home in Hermione's office. Severus looked from Hermione to Rita with mild amusement etched on his features. Hermione had mentioned how much she hated the reporter and Severus reminded himself to tell her the 'Rita' story she had mentioned she was saving for a special occasion.

"Well, well, I seem to be interrupting something don't I?" Rita said sarcastically as she moved around Severus and pulled up another chair.

"You think?" Hermione said impatiently. She had no inclination to be polite to the insufferable woman and she was certainly not going to ask Severus to leave on her account so she answered Rita's question right away. "I ordered twenty-five copies because there was no reason to order more. The market for your conspiracy theories and gossip has gone down over the years since the war. And if I am correct," Hermione paused to shuffle through some paperwork, and then finally lifting a sheaf of parchment up for Rita to see, she tapped it. "There are no special orders for you and in the week that those twenty-five books have been on the shelf not one reader has bothered to pick it up."

Rita scowled but Hermione continued trying to laugh at the humorous glint in Severus' black eyes. He was clearly enjoying this.

"Your books are tired, no one is interested in the lies you print, particularly since your biography of Dumbledore, I suggest you stick with your gossip rag Witch Weekly and leave the bookstores to sell the actual literature." Hermione said with just a hint of nastiness in her tone.

Rita's face purpled in anger for Hermione and embarrassment for being humiliated in front of Severus that way. "Why you insufferable know-it-all. I bet you think you are really important sitting there with your—" But Rita stopped talking as Hermione took a paperweight off of her desk and transfigured it into a small glass jar.

"Infragilis." Hermione said tapping the jar. Rita's eyes widened and then narrowed. Severus continued to look at Hermione curiously.

"Severus, would you mind waiting outside for just a moment? You probably shoudn't be in here when I discuss work matters."

That piqued Rita's interest. "When you discuss work matters? So, you are here on personal business?"She finished disbelievingly.

Severus just stood gracefully and picked up the basket he had carried her lunch in. "I really need to go anyway, I have potions brewing." He said smirking at Rita. He loved it when that woman was uncomfortable. Leaning close to Hermione's ear he whispered, "You better explain the unbreakable jar to me the moment you get off work."

Hermione just smiled at him and winked. Severus kissed the corner of Hermione's mouth before shrinking the basket and putting it in his pocket. "I will see you at dinner," and then turning toward Rita whose mouth was gaping, "have a good day."

Hermione and Rita both watched Severus exit the room. Rita rounded on Hermione as soon as the door had shut behind him. "You have got to be joking."

Hermione just shrugged. "Was there anything else you wanted from me?" She said tapping the jar lightly with her fingertips.

Rita just scowled and straightened her shoulders. "You won't be able to use that against me this time missy. This story is just too good."

Hermione eyed Rita wearily. Deciding to call her bluff Hermione put the jar in her desk drawer. "Write whatever you want then. We'll see if it's worth it after you print it. I will order more of your books if and only if the ones we have are sold. I think we are done here."

Rita left in a huff. Hermione shook her head in exasperation. That woman was going to drag her through the mud far worse than she had to date. Their mutual grudge was unlikely to disappear under any circumstances but now that Rita knew Hermione was with the man she wanted, this time whatever dribble she found to write about was going to be exceedingly caustic.

*************************************************************************************

Severus had barely made it out the front door of Flourish and Blotts when Rita caught up with him. Cursing himself for browsing the books on his way out he turned toward her and gave her his old half sneer half smile in greeting.

"I can't, you- her-, I" Rita sputtered with indignation. "You can't possibly be serious?"

"I assure you, I am quite serious. Now if you'll excuse me." He started to walk away from her a smile on his face.

"You won't get away with slighting me Severus Snape." Rita yelled like an idiot at his retreating back.

_Unfortunately, _Severus thought as he walked away. His darker side was still gleeful that she had seen him with another woman even though it was only briefly. He knew that they would be reading about this in one rag or another within the next few days.

Severus was positively cheerful by the time he got home though. Hermione had shown him all the colors she liked for the walls in his home so he was going to start on the painting that afternoon. Thanks to magic he would have the whole place done before she came over that night. With any luck he would be able to get at least the library expanded as well. Magically increasing the space of a house took a considerable effort but it would be worth it in the end. Severus thought back to the morning almost a week ago when Hermione had woken in his arms. It was the first time he had ever woken up next to a woman before and it had surprised him at how much he liked it. They hadn't even had sex and yet it felt more intimate than anything he had ever experienced. Severus had the idea that if Hermione liked the house and saw what he was doing to fix it up she would want to move in sooner. That was the sort of grand gesture he could do for her. Offering her a house she likes and a future trumped flowers and paltry intentions any day.

The only thing Severus wasn't sure about yet was a ring. He kept asking himself whether he should get her one or not. Whether he should make a formal proposal or not, and when he should do it. They were already betrothed so to speak, but it was on a technicality of a contract. They were down to just a touch over ten months before they were supposed to be married and he wasn't sure how they should go about it. The only thing he knew was that he was beginning to love her. He wasn't willing to say that he was deeply _in_ love with her but he definitely loved her and was on the brink of feeling more. The thought terrified him and excited him at the same time.

Severus had just finished putting the final touches on the library when he heard Hermione downstairs. When he got to the bottom of the stairs he saw Hermione running her hands along the walls of the living room.

"Wow, Severus, the place looks great. It's amazing what just a little color can do to a room." Hermione eyed the walls appreciatively, or at least the bookshelves considering the room was full of them, but instead the sea of eggshell white the room was done in lovely earth tones that were subdued yet pretty at the same time. Hermione was very careful when she picked the colors because she didn't want to pick out anything that was overly Gryffindor or Slytherin in nature but she also wanted avoid anything girlish.

"I really like the colors you pick out. I never really considered how the place would look with new colors having hated it for so long. I don't hate it so much now though." He said walking over to her and taking her in his arms.

Hermione looked up into his dark eyes. He always felt so tall to her and she loved it. Reaching up to touch his face she smiled at him. "Good, you really shouldn't hate your home."

Severus looked back into her brown eyes. Her eyes were so warm and mature. He knew that she had seen many horrible things throughout her youth and they made her eyes look old in a way that contrasted with the youthful vivacity of her face. Hermione stood on her toes so that she could reach up and kiss him. The kiss was soft and slow at first but then Severus lifted Hermione off the floor and held her up as he parted her lips with his tongue. Hermione could feel him hardening against her hip as the kiss deepened. After a moment Severus reluctantly placed Hermione back on her feet but she grasped onto him to keep herself upright. The kiss had left her breathless and her knees weak. She could feel her own desire coursing through her and warming the insides of her thighs.

Once Hermione was stable on her feet Severus released and backed away a few steps. He had let his emotions take control of him just then and it was taking every ounce of his self-discipline to not take her right there on the living room floor. Hermione was flushed and she straightened out her skirt and shirt before she spoke.

"Well then. I am happy to see you too." She said trying to make light of the situation. Hermione could feel the sexual tension hanging in between them like a thick fog that she knew would not go away until they finally gave in to their more carnal desires.

Severus smiled sheepishly which made Hermione laugh a little. The look was acutely out of place on his normally stoic face.

"What?" He said feigning innocence.

"Nothing, let's just eat, I'm starved and I want to see the rest of the house." She said leading him to the kitchen.

Severus helped Hermione cook dinner, using magic this time to get it done faster. Once they were settled with a plate of steaming lasagna placed in front of them, Severus adopted a serious look on his face. Hermione paused with a fork halfway to her mouth and looked at him disconcerted.

"Are you alright?"

Severus was fine he was just about to ask her what she thought about engagement rings but at the last second changed his mind. "I want to know why you put an unbreakable charm on a jar in your office today. And I especially want to know why it made Rita Skeeter turn white."

"Oh." Hermione laughed. "I thought we were going to save this conversation for a special occasion." Hermione teased.

"I am to have brunch with your parents tomorrow. Consider this my last request." Severus replied, a twinkle in his eye that Hermione was pleased to see was appearing more and more. He was not nearly as sarcastic as he used to be but he was still just as funny to her.

Hermione appeared to be thinking his request over. "I don't know Sev, this is one of my proudest moments and of my favorite secrets. You have to understand how much I am giving up by letting you in on it. The fact that Draco hasn't already told you speaks volumes because he knows part of this story too."

Severus' eyebrows lifted. "Draco knows?"

"He only knows one part and that's this. Rita is an unregistered animagus. She takes the form of a beetle and that's how she gets information in unlikely places. The fact that she distorts that information so much is probably what keeps people from being suspicious about her methods."

Severus snorted. "I'm surprised Draco never told me that since he knew, but it's hardly newsworthy."

Hermione just rolled her eyes. "Of course it's not a big deal by itself. It's what I did to her when I found out. I don't know if you paid any attention but in fourth year she printed all kinds of nasty stories about how I was basically a tramp going and breaking hearts left and right. She even overheard Viktor Krum and I on several occasions and would write about it. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how because Dumbledore had banned her from the school grounds."

"I remember those stories; they were a large part of why she was banned." Severus interjected.

"Anyway," Hermione continued, "I noticed Malfoy talking into his hand one day and then the next there was more slander against me in the Prophet, and also more reports on what a horrible teacher Hagrid was. Harry and Ron said they saw a beetle on an ice statue when they were hiding from you at the Yule Ball because you were talking to Karkaroff. They overheard Hagrid telling Madame Maxime that he was a half-giant, next thing you know that's in print too."

"I knew they were spying on me." Severus said fixated on Harry and Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes yet again. "Oh let it go. Finally, after the second task Krum was asking me if I would visit him in Bulgaria and he noticed that I had a beetle in my hair. It only took a little bit after that to figure out what was going on. So, I kept looking for her in her beetle form. I finally saw her on the window ledge of the hospital wing after the maze. We were visiting with Harry when I saw her. I caught her and I stuck her in an unbreakable jar with holes on the top. I knew it was her because she was green like her quill and the markings around the eyes matched her glasses. I kept her that way for the whole summer. I threatened to out her to the Ministry if she ever wrote one negative word about me, Ron, or Harry again. That's why when we did the interview for the Quibbler it was printed exactly word for word with none of her nonsense embellishments. Every now and then I have to remind her who has the upper hand."

"You kept her in an unbreakable jar for a whole summer?" Severus said reverence in his voice.

"I may be sweet Gryffindor Hermione, but you don't want to piss me off." She said pointedly.

Severus was pretty sure he had just officially fallen in love with her. "That was very Slytherin of you." He said.

"You have no idea." Hermione said mischievously. "And coming from you, I will take that as a compliment. Can I see the upstairs now?"

Shaking his head in awe of his fiancé's mean streak he led her up the stairs. He couldn't believe that she had done that to someone. Hermione was usually so benevolent and forgiving; she had trusted _him_ after all. Hermione must have sensed where Severus' thoughts were going because she stopped him.

"I don't know if I would do something like that again. I was only fifteen at the time. There are two people in this world I would gladly set fire to though and she is one, Umbridge is the other." Hermione said.

Severus considered her words for a moment. "I don't know, you put a nasty hex on Marietta Edgecombe."

Hermione blushed deeply, "Okay maybe I am a little on the evil side sometimes."

"I like it." Severus said honestly.

Hermione spent a few moments commenting on how much she liked the colors of the walls. She was really pleased that Severus was flirting with her over her more Slytherin tactics. If she was trying to ingratiate herself on him even further that probably would have done the trick. But more importantly, she was trying to shift through that fog of sexual tension that was between him and the more he laughed and smiled at the thicker it got. It was if the fog was trying to block him from her sight so that she would be forced to touch him so she could see him clearly again.

"Hermione, I have a surprise for you." Severus said leading her to the library door and disrupting her thoughts. Severus opened the door and nudged her through ahead of him. The simple touch of his hand on the small of her back sent electricity throughout her body.

"Severus," Hermione breathed. "I don't know what to say."

Hermione looked around the room in awe it was twice as large as it used to be with two walls of completely empty bookshelves.

Severus took her hand and looked deep in her eyes. "It's for your personal collection when you feel like you are ready to bring it here."

His voice was quiet but his eyes were boring into hers with an intensity she had never felt before. He was expressing his commitment to her through this gesture and Hermione realized how lucky she was to be matched with him. She could have been stuck with some jerk that didn't care about her at all and here Severus had done the one thing that could have won her heart if it wasn't already starting to become his anyway. Her heart still wasn't her own to give but she didn't realize when it had stopped being David's and had become Severus'. She floundered for something to say but his eyes were sucking her in and taking away any sense of rationality she might have had.

Instead she let him sweep her up into another kiss that ripped the air from her lungs. This time Severus pushed her up against the bare wall of the hallway. He pulled his mouth away when he needed air and after taking a breath starting trailing kisses on her jaw. He nipped her earlobe with his teeth and then sucked on the spot ever so gently in a way that left Hermione's insides quaking. Severus laced the fingers of one hand in her hair and the other started roaming across her ribs down her stomach and finally he found purchase on her breast.

Hermione gasped with pleasure as Severus brushed his thumb over the hardened peak of her breast. He continued to give attention to her breast as he brought his mouth up from her neck to her lips once again. She moaned as his tongue explored her mouth with more fervor than he had ever shown. She arched her back in pleasure and pressed her hips into his. Severus backed up a step so their hips weren't touching anymore and then slowly broke the kiss.

Hermione fell against the wall, the fog of tension settling between them thicker than before so he was completely obscured from her. The only thing visible to her was the desire that was darkening his eyes.

"We should stop." He said throatily.

"No, we shouldn't." She said her voice hoarse with yearning. Hermione took a step forward reaching for him.

Severus needed no further encouragement. He whisked Hermione up into his arms and led her to the bedroom.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: okay, now they are getting somewhere. I don't know how long this fic is going to be so if you think they are moving too fast, sorry.**

**Thanks a bunch to whoopsydaisy for the beta thing.**

**Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers your support is great. I am going to try to get at least two more chapters written this week but I am moving Saturday so that is going to slow things down. I am moving far…. So I will be out of service for maybe a week?**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its affiliates. In fact JKR probably pays in taxes in one year more money than I will see in my lifetime.

Life For Rent

Chapter 13

Severus led Hermione to the bedroom and pushed her down on the bed. Hovering over her body he covered her mouth with his. He'd told her they should wait but when she replied that they shouldn't, Severus allowed his baser instincts to take control. His hands wandered over her breasts, across her ribcage, settling on her taut belly. He deepened the kiss for a moment before pulling away slightly to unbutton her shirt.

Hermione reached up to unbutton his shirt as well. She was burning with an urgent desire to feel him inside of her and divested him of shirt quickly. Sitting up slightly she helped Severus remove her shirt and then reaching around she unsnapped her bra and threw it on the floor. Severus' lips turned in appreciation at the sight of Hermione's round and perky breasts before him. Wasting no time he pushed Hermione back down and trailed kisses from her earlobe to the small flat plane of her breastbone. He brushed his thumb over one erect nipple and flicked the other with his tongue. Hermione arched her back as he pulled as much of her breast as he could into his mouth and sucked deeply. Moaning with pleasure Hermione grabbed his hair and pulled.

Severus' was reveling in the beauty of her body and he wanted to explore it more but at the moment he needed more. He was rock hard and her mewling as he attended to her breasts weakened his control even more. Severus pulled his wand out of his pocket and used it to remove the rest of their clothing. Hermione's body was flushed with desire and her eyes widened at seeing Severus naked for the first time. He was long and lean, with hard angles and clean lines. His body was like a work of art and Hermione gasped at the sight of his erection, dark and throbbing. She could feel the heat emanating from it as he hovered over again to kiss her deeply.

Reaching between them Severus slid his hand up her thigh. Hermione parted her legs instinctively as Severus cupped her warm, moist heat. He flicked his thumb over her swollen clitoris and Hermione bucked against his hand. Sliding one long finger Hermione inside her Hermione cried out with pleasure.

"Now, Severus. More, now!"

He didn't need to be told twice; in one swift movement he entered her to the hilt. They both moaned with pleasure as he filled her. Hermione's head swam as he buried himself balls deep into her. He was thicker than she was used to and he filled her completely. She bucked her hips against his needing him to move. Severus moaned again when she ground against and started moving. She was so tight and he could feel her muscles quivering around him already. Hooking one of her legs over his shoulder he thrust into her with a fervor that could only come from years of abstinence. It took only moments for the quivering in her muscles to turn into quakes as he she began to orgasm around her, crying out. God, he loved a vocal lover. Unable to hold out any longer Severus plunged into her faster and moaned loudly as he felt his own release build up and finally explode out of him.

Severus sagged down next to Hermione and lay facing up next to her, their chests rising and falling in unison as they struggled to catch their breath. The whole episode had lasted only minutes but they were both drained from their release. As Severus' body came down from its high the realization of what they had just done finally hit him and he inwardly cursed himself. He was not under any delusions that their first time would be perfect but he didn't want it to be so fast and feverish. She wasn't some trollop of the street that was there to treat him to a good fuck without any concern for foreplay. As hard as it was to admit to himself he was hoping that it would have been slower with Hermione, not this desperate meeting of carnal wills. Severus turned his head to look at Hermione and was surprised to see her looking at him. Her eyes were shiny but the pupils were still dilated with her desire and her irises were darkened to the color of dark chocolate.

"Forgive me if I hurt you. I should not have behaved so hastily." Severus said brushing his hand down her cheek.

Hermione rolled her eyes so forcefully that Severus could swear he heard her ocular nerves snapping. "You did not hurt me and we were both acting hastily. I was just as eager as you were. Stop apologizing." Hermione was annoyed with his constant worry about how far they were going. Up until that point he was practically treating her like a virgin.

"Well, then…" Severus sighed slightly taken aback that she was clearly not uncomfortable with the situation. "I just wasn't planning on having our first time be so rushed."

Hermione pulled herself up to a sitting position so that she could look down on Severus. "Listen Severus, I set the pace just as much as you did here, so stop worrying about it. Second, I am not naïve nor inexperienced with sex, so while I have to admit I was not expecting to hear choirs singing or see fireworks I did enjoy that immensely. The first time with someone is always a little awkward and I admit that was slightly fast but with time I am sure we will find a perfect rhythm that suits us. I'm not going anywhere so we will have plenty of opportunities to take our time and enjoy each other's bodies. You're acting as if this was the only time we are going to do this."

Severus had the grace to blush at her last comment. Normally when he had sex with someone it was only once so this exploring of bodies was something he was unfamiliar with and he was hoping to do it with Hermione the first time. She was right; he did go into it with the unconscious idea that it would be their only time. Hermione reached down and pushed his hair off of his forehead looking deep into his eyes. She wished she knew Legilimency right then but she knew he would just block her if she tried to access his mind anyway. Instead she kissed him long and slow, tracing the insides of his mouth with her tongue tasting him.

"It was wonderful. I would say for a first time, it was a smashing success." Hermione laid back down next to him settling her head on his shoulder. She'd only slept with two people before Severus and she could honestly say that the first time with both of them was just as heated and fast but it was raging hormones that made it that way. She remembered bumping teeth and noses and being unsure of how much noise to make or where to put her hands but it wasn't like that with Severus at all. They were obviously sexually compatible and she had felt perfectly at ease doing what instinct told her. Despite how rushed he thought it was, his hands were gentle and his kisses were passionate. Hermione knew that he was going to be a wonderful lover and it pained her a little to think that he might not have a lot of self-esteem in that area. When she fell in love with David there was a shift in their lovemaking that made it better and Severus had just made her feel the way David did at the peak of their relationship. And she wasn't even in love with Severus. Not yet, anyway.

Severus relaxed. He thought that it was a smashing success as well but he wasn't quite as comfortable talking openly about sex as Hermione was. He was willing to discuss the more boring aspects of their marriage contract with her but when it came to matters of the heart and sex he was finding it difficult to even find the right words let alone say them. He was such an intensely private man it was a struggle for him to open up to her. He harbored a secret fear that she would expect declarations of love or some other such sentiment once they had consummated their relationship. Severus metaphorically kicked himself as his own naiveté and his lack in Hermione's ability to separate sex from love. She'd already made it clear that she wasn't expecting choirs and fireworks. But she had still enjoyed it and so had he and although he wasn't ready to make any of the sentimental declarations that he _thought_ she might want to hear, he could show her with his actions how much he had enjoyed her.

"What do you say we start exploring right now?" Severus said catching her earlobe between his teeth.

Hermione moaned and pressed her body into his, "Oh yes. Now would be perfect."

*************************************************************************************

"So all you really need to know is that my parents are dentists. They aren't really conservative but they might balk a little at our age difference. We are really close but after Australia they kind of feel like they don't know me at all sometimes so they might not be that surprised that I chose you over David. I know they like David but they will like you to." Hermione was coaching Severus on what to expect when he met her parents as they walked the long street leading up to their house.

"What happened in Australia?" Severus asked. She had mentioned Australia several times but he never got the impression that anything bad had happened. He knew that her parents were in Australia during the war but he did not know the circumstances behind how they got there. Hermione sent him subtle signals that she didn't like to talk about it so he had never pressed the issue. He had his own reasons for not pushing the issue. If her parents were in England, the Death Eaters surely would have gotten to them. He didn't want to tell her that though.

Severus felt Hermione stiffen beside him slightly. "Nothing." She said quickly. "It's just that they are Muggles you know and sometimes they don't really understand everything that goes on in our world."

She was still being kind of evasive and Severus was beginning to get really curious about what secrets she had to keep. After all, keeping secrets was more Slytherin than Gryffindor, and so far Hermione had been an open book.

"Oh and by the way as far as my parents are concerned there is no marriage law and you are with me because you want to be. So, don't be surprised if my parents question your intentions."

Severus chuckled a little and reached for her hand. She was obviously nervous about the meeting with her parents. While he wasn't looking forward to it, he was not particularly worried about it. "Duly noted, but I am confident all be well. I have faced far worse adversaries than your parents, I assure you."

"I just want them to like you. Since they don't know about the law it will make them more likely to, but they did like David and we broke up so suddenly I think they were a bit shell shocked." Hermione said.

Severus frowned at the mention of David again but did not bring it up. "Why aren't you telling your parents about the law? Don't you think it would be best to be honest with them?"

This time Hermione did stiffen beside him. Hermione had done a lot of dishonest things for her parents' own protection but in this case who was she protecting, them or her? To be truthful, Hermione knew it was more for herself. Her parents would not understand the law and would be deeply disappointed if she followed it and that would burn some of the delicate bridges they had managed to build over the years and she didn't want that. Hermione did not like to lie but she had lied to her parents about so many things over the years that it was a wonder she could keep up with it all. If they really knew how dangerous her years at Hogwarts had been they never would have allowed her to be there.

"Severus, they wouldn't understand. I have been dishonest with my parents about a lot of things since I got to Hogwarts so if they say something about my years as a student that don't jibe well with your memories just play along. If they knew how dangerous it was for me they never would have let me go back." She replied squeezing his hand. "We're here."

Severus looked down the winding driveway to the large white house at the end of it. Apparently the Grangers had done well for themselves. His own home did not even compare and for a brief moment Severus was slightly ashamed that what he had offered Hermione was not as nice as what she was used to. But that was something he would think about later. He was more curious as to why Hermione had a strained relationship with her parents.

Severus stayed a step behind Hermione as she entered the house calling for her parents.

"Mum? Dad! We're here." She said as she walked through a comfortable looking sitting room. Hermione's parents both stepped through a door that Severus presumed led to the kitchen.

"Hermione! It's so good to see you, it's been ages." Hermione's mother wrapped Hermione in a quick but strong hug before pushing her away to look at Severus appraisingly.

Severus felt awkward under her gaze but he made no move to greet her. He just stood letting her appraise him and after a moment the corners of her mouth turned up and she gave Severus a smirk. He raised one eyebrow at her which drew out a full on laugh from her.

Hermione turned toward the pair of them curiously. "Severus this is my mother Jean Granger, and my father Mark Granger."

Severus extended his hand to both of them turn, "Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger, a pleasure to meet you."

It was very weird addressing her parents as Mr. and Mrs. when he was clearly not more than ten years younger than the pair of them. Mark Granger smiled weakly as he shook Severus' hand. Hermione was looking at her father with a look of apprehension on her face. Based on Severus' quick evaluation of the situation her mother was going to be more receptive but it was her father that he was going to have to win over to make Hermione happy.

"Please call us Mark and Jean." Hermione's mother said congenially over her shoulder walked into the kitchen. She re-emerged a moment later with a tray of drinks in her hands. "Sit down everyone and have a mimosa. We have a lot to talk about so let's relax."

Hermione and Severus sat next to each other on the loveseat while her parents both settled onto the couch. Hermione's mother was being unusually nice. Hermione was frowning at her mother as she sat there smiling at them all. Her father caught her eye and motioned to the mimosa raised to her mother's lips. He held up three fingers than made a motion as if drinking to tell Hermione that her mother had already drunk three of the fruity yet alcoholic beverages. The strange laugh and the smirk she was giving Severus all clicked into place. Hermione's mother was drinking and she only drank when she wanted to avoid uncomfortable situations so maybe she wasn't going to be receptive as she thought.

Hermione leaned over and whispered in Severus' ear what she thought.

"Don't worry." Was all he said.

"So Severus," Mark said. "You are a potions brewer is that right?"

"Yes, I am." Severus replied glancing at Hermione out of the corner of his eye.

Mark smiled and put down his drink. "Hermione tells us you used to be a teacher at Hogwarts. One of her favorite teachers, I might add."

Now it was going to get uncomfortable because her father was subtly bringing up the age difference.

"Hermione was a dedicated student." Severus said simply. She was most definitely not one of his favorites when she was a child but he was not about to say that.

Mark looked at Severus critically for a moment but then cracked a genuine smile. "She can be a bit precocious in a classroom. I have heard that many times over during her educational career."

Hermione groaned inwardly and flushed with embarrassment. Severus leaned back casually in his seat and returned the smile. "Yes, she was inquisitive almost to a fault but her intelligence, talent, and eagerness to learn more than was necessary set her apart from her peers."

Hermione smiled at Severus for the compliment but she was annoyed with the way talking about her. "You don't have to talk about me as if I'm not here, you know." She said.

Severus reached for hand and smiled at her. "Sorry."

For the next half hour or so Hermione's parents grilled Severus on his career, why he quit teaching, and he came to be dating Hermione.

"I went to put in a book order at Flourish and Blotts and Hermione happened to be the person who helped me. We have been seeing each other ever since." Severus lied smoothly.

"I have to ask then, since this relationship is coming on the boot heals of Hermione's three year relationship with David, are you two serious?" Hermione's mother asked. "You do know my daughter just got out of a very serious three year relationship don't you?"

Severus squeezed Hermione's hand and looked down at her. Hermione gave him a look that clearly said 'she wants you to answer that' so Severus took a deep breath and looked each of her parents in the eye before speaking.

"We are very serious. I am happier than I have been in a long time." Severus said. Hermione's heart soared because although she knew he was initially in it for the marriage law, what he said was still true.

Hermione's mother was not satisfied. "Hermione said she broke up with David because he wasn't prepared to commit to marriage and family and that he wasn't willing to raise children in the Wizarding world even if he did want them. Have you both discussed these issues? I would hate to see Hermione jump from one unfulfilling relationship to another. David, I believe has learned from his mistakes and is willing to compromise now. Where do you stand on this Severus?"

"Mother!" Hermione interrupted angrily. "Leave David out of this. It is over between us and you'll just have to get used to it."

"You'll have to forgive us Severus. David became very close to us over the last few years. He is a muggle so we could relate with him very well on what it was like to be so close to a witch. He was very supportive of Hermione when we were still recovering from having our memories modified in Australia and we are just so surprised that things didn't work out." Mark said trying to diffuse the situation. Hermione's mother did step slightly out of line and he could see Hermione getting worked up. Severus didn't look to pleased the line of questioning either.

Severus turned toward Hermione frowning. "Memory modification?"

Mark looked taken aback at Severus' irritation. Apparently this was a little history that Severus knew nothing about that.

"Yes, memory modification." She said with an expression that clearly said 'later Severus.'

Severus looked at Hermione like he had never seen her before. He reached out and wiped a stray tear be her ear. "That was very brave of you. But you were right. Death Eaters would have come after your parents." He said knowingly looking deep into her eyes. After a moment Hermione gasped at the implications of what he just said. Severus could have been one of the Death Eaters that might have been sent to kill her parents if they didn't leave.

Turning toward her parents Severus changed his tone from awe to sternness. "I am perfectly aware of what Hermione wanted from David that he wasn't willing to commit to at the time. I am most definitely prepared to offer marriage and a family. My father was a Muggle so I have a solid understanding of both worlds and you need not fear that Hermione will disappear into the magical world altogether. As for what she did in her seventh year not only took an outstanding amount of courage but she performed magic that was far beyond her years. She is a remarkable witch and I consider myself privileged to enjoy her company."

Jean and Mark looked at each other and then at Severus. Hermione was holding her breath and squeezing Severus' hand so hard it had to have hurt but he made no motion to pull away. Finally, Jean looked at Severus with narrowed eyes, eyes that were brown and shaped just like Hermione's. "Do you love my daughter? I have to know. I want to know everything that is going on in my daughter's life because I feel her slipping away and that means knowing if you love her."

Hermione's sucked in her breath and looked at Severus. His eyes betrayed no emotion but his jaw was clenched slightly. He realized in the last few moments that there was a lot about Hermione he really didn't know and they were going to have to talk about what kinds of secrets they were keeping from each other. What her mother wanted him to say out loud though, was something else entirely. Of course she could not know that he had never said it to Hermione before, but this isn't the way he wanted her to hear it.

Sighing deeply he looked Jean in the eye and said, "Yes, I love her." And then he turned to a wide eyed Hermione and said more tenderly, his eyes softer, "I love you."

Hermione found herself wishing that he really meant it, and that it wasn't just for show.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Okay major props to my beta who got this back to me super fast and with great comments!!!!**

**I got twenty reviews on my last chapter holy cow!!!! That is awesome so thank you all for your wonderful support. The big move is coming up this weekend so sorry for the delays that are about to happen.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!!!**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Life For Rent

Chapter 14

Last chapter of Life For Rent:

_Jean and Mark looked at each other and then at Severus. Hermione was holding her breath and squeezing Severus' hand so hard it had to have hurt but he made no motion to pull away. Finally, Jean looked at Severus with narrowed eyes, eyes that were brown and shaped just like Hermione's. "Do you love my daughter? I have to know. I want to know everything that is going on in my daughter's life because I feel her slipping away and that means knowing if you love her."_

_Hermione's sucked in her breath and looked at Severus. His eyes betrayed no emotion but his jaw was clenched slightly. He realized in the last few moments that there was a lot about Hermione he really didn't know and they were going to have to talk about what kinds of secrets they were keeping from each other. What her mother wanted him to say out loud though, was something else entirely. Of course she could not know that he had never said it to Hermione before, but this isn't the way he wanted her to hear it. _

_Sighing deeply he looked Jean in the eye and said, "Yes, I love her." And then he turned to a wide eyed Hermione and said more tenderly, his eyes softer, "I love you." _

_Hermione found herself wishing that he really meant it, and that it wasn't just for show._

_*************************************************************************************_

Hermione's heart was leaping from her stomach to her chest and back down again. She really did want Severus' words to be real but she figured they probably weren't and she wasn't going to say them back until she knew for sure how he really felt. She needed to know how she really felt too. She was undeniably falling for him but Hermione was still a little hesitant to let her feelings completely take over.

"Severus, I--," Hermione started to speak but her mother interrupted.

"Well that was sweet." She said reaching for her husband's mimosa, "I suppose you could do worse, Hermione."

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up to take her mother's mimosa. "I think you have had enough for one morning, mum."

Hermione's father, who had watched the whole exchange with bewilderment, shepherded Hermione's mother out of the living room. Hermione wondered what her father was thinking. Her mother was going to get an earful from Hermione later about her intrusive and embarrassing behavior, but it she still couldn't really tell what her father thought. He seemed to like Severus enough but Hermione was not sure.

Severus was still sitting back in the chair not looking at anyone. He couldn't believe he'd just told Hermione he loved her right in front of her parents. It wasn't a lie but he could tell by the look on Hermione's face that she thought it was. He needed to decide if he should set her straight right away or tell her again some other time when she was more likely to believe it. He wasn't a romantic man by any means but that was the first time in his life that he had uttered those words to a person before and it felt ruined somehow.

"Severus, I am so sorry about my mother. You really shouldn't have had to put up with that." Hermione said.

Hermione's words stung a little and that surprised him. He wasn't expecting a declaration of love from her but to dismiss what he said did hurt. Of course, she could have no idea how important it had been for him because she didn't know that he'd never told anyone those words before. "It was not a problem." Severus said awkwardly still not looking at her.

Hermione reached for his hand and started tracing the lines of his veins with her finger. "I just feel bad that you felt like you had to do that to satisfy my mother. It was kind of awkward. I know I told you would have to act like we weren't together for a marriage law but I didn't think it would go that far."

Severus sighed deeply and finally looked in Hermione's eyes. She was looking at him apologetically. Severus reached out to touch her face, looking into her eyes intensely. "I wasn't acting, Hermione."

An explosion of butterflies jockeyed for space inside Hermione's stomach. She was profoundly aware of his eyes on hers as she struggled for something to say. This isn't the moment she had imagined either for saying the words. A lot of the romance had been taken out of their courtship simply because it had started with a contract. Hermione felt a bubble of happiness and relief burst in her chest at the realization of how lucky she was to even care about the wizard she was set up with let alone love him and have him love her too.

Severus was still looking at her the gentleness in his eyes slowly being replaced by angry embarrassment as she continued to work her mouth as if trying to decide what to say. Severus thought the appropriate response would be easy but, maybe he was wrong. Maybe he did feel more for her than she did for him. Severus dropped his hand and started to look away when Hermione trapped his face with both of her hands and bent forward to kiss him. For a moment he was tempted to pull away but she deepened the kiss and Severus felt himself melting into her.

After a moment, Hermione broke away smiling. "I love you too, Severus. I really do. I have to admit that I didn't really realize until now, and it just hit me how lucky we are to be set up with each other. We could have come out much worse in this situation than we did."

Hermione immediately shut her mouth and bit her lip when she realized she was rambling. Severus didn't always say what was on his mind and she didn't want to push the declaration of love thing too far. Severus' lips quirked at the corners in a small smile when she stopped talking and started chewing on her lip nervously; she was more endearing than she knew. He wanted to kiss her again, and again, and make love to her right then. She loved him, he was sarcastic, an ex-Death Eater and spy, and one of the people who made her life at Hogwarts miserable and she loved him anyway.

"Don't chew your lip, you'll bite right through." He said using his thumb to pull her lip out from between her teeth. He traced her lips with his thumb before kissing her again.

"Ahem. Would you two care to join us in the dining room?" Mr. Granger said from the doorway. He was frowning slightly but his tone was not angry. Hermione's face turned a deep shade of red at being caught by her father. In the moment she had completely forgotten where she was. Apparently Severus had too because he had crossed his legs and adjusted his shirt quickly to hide the embarrassing swell between his legs.

"Coming." Hermione said quickly jumping up to follow her father into the other room. Mr. Granger looked at Severus for a moment who had made no move to get up.

"I'll be along in a moment. I just need to use your facilities." Severus said smoothly. He had faced a lot of things dangerous and scary in his lifetime but getting caught snogging the woman he loved by her father was by far the most embarrassing. Mr. Granger looked at Severus coolly for a moment before Hermione pushed him through the door.

"Stop trying to look menacing, Dad. It's not working." Hermione said laughing.

Her father just smiled down at her and pulled her into a hug. "You do seem happy together, as unorthodox as it seems. He has nice teeth."

Hermione laughed loudly at that one. Her father always noticed teeth but if they had seen Severus a year ago they would have kicked him out of the house based on his oral hygiene alone with all of the yellow stains and crookedness. That was different now that Severus' teeth were perfectly aligned and white and she was glad her parents hadn't met him before.

"You're right, he does have nice teeth."

*************************************************************************************

Severus paused beside one of the winged boars flanking the large, black gates in front of Hogwarts castle. He stared up at the castle his eyes involuntarily searching the skyline for the astronomy tower. Once he located it Severus allowed a moment of anguish to wash through him as he pictured his beloved mentor and friend fall to the ground. Oh, how Dumbledore had disappointed him in the end with all of his manipulations and scheming regarding Potter, but that hadn't made it any easier to kill him. The curse that was coursing through Dumbledore's body would have done him in soon but it still hurt Severus deep in his core that Dumbledore would disregard the state of Severus' soul and ask him to commit a murder. Some people called it a mercy killing but Severus would never be able to see it that way. For him it was murder, pure and simple. The only small comfort he had was that Draco no longer believed in the Pureblood prejudices anymore. So in that sense, Draco's soul had been saved and that was after all Dumbledore's goal.

The momentary anguish that Severus had allowed himself to feel evaporated quickly as he saw a large man lumbering his way toward the gate. Hagrid had always been one of his favorite people at Hogwarts so he was glad to see him. Nobody knew of course, the soft spot Severus had for Hagrid but over the years Severus had to turn to him for potions ingredients and they had got on well. Hagrid was the first to tell Severus he was sorry that he didn't believe in him after Dumbledore died and should have known that he would never betray Dumbledore a second time. Severus understood of course, and held nothing against the great bear of a man.

"G'morning Severus." Hagrid called through the gate when he was in talking distance.

Severus lifted a hand in acknowledgement but said nothing. Now that he was about to enter the castle again for the first time since he was found in the Shrieking Shack memories of what his life had been like flooded through him. He recalled his first day as a student standing in front of the sorting hat with his fingers crossed behind his back while Lily got sorted. He remembered how disappointed he was when she was sorted into Gryffindor. More memories of Lily passed through his mind until they passed near the tree by the lake where James and his friends had taunted him. Then he recalled with perfect clarity the last day Lily had ever spoken to him. He had entered the castle as a lost boy and he left the castle a lost man. His life had truly come full circle the day that snake bit him.

Now though, his life was different. He was learning who he was without the threat of death looming over him. He had allowed himself to fall in love and with a woman that was moving in with him that very week. Severus had no idea why Minerva McGonagall wanted to see him but he doubted she would be able to recognize him now. Not by his face, for he still looked mostly the same, but because he didn't have it in his heart to be the towering bat of the dungeons that he used to be. The darkness inside him was fading and Severus wondered what it would be like to be in that castle again, teaching and protecting students once more.

"How you been Severus. You're awfully quiet, not that you were ever one to talk much." Hagrid chuckled to himself as they walked the halls leading to the Headmistress's office. Severus was looking around him pangs of nostalgia lighting his awareness of his surroundings as he went. Gods, he had loved that castle when he lived there, it was his home and he loved it still. The halls were the same and he was glad to see that the restorations from the battle were direct replicas of how the castle used to be, the only difference being the addition of plaques honoring the fallen students who fought in the war.

"I have been very well Hagrid." Severus replied politely as they reached the gargoyle guarding the familiar office.

"Well it's been good ter see ya Severus. I hope ter see more of you around." Hagrid said clapping Severus on a shoulder making his knees buckle. Severus watched him walk away before saying the password and heading up to the office.

Once Severus reached the top of the stairs he swallowed deeply before knocking. He hadn't been inside the office since he was headmaster. He had thought many times about coming to visit Minerva and to speak with Dumbledore's portrait but he had never been able to summon the courage or a good enough excuse.

"Come in." Minerva McGonagall's voice sounded through the door before his fisted hand had even reached the door. Smiling he turned the knob and entered the room where he had spilled more secrets then he wanted to think about.

"Severus you are looking well." Minerva commented pleasantly as Severus took his seat. Dumblelore was peering over her shoulder at him and nodding in agreement, his light blue eyes twinkling as usual.

"Thank you, Minerva. I feel well." Severus said settling into a chair. The office was now a tartan nightmare and Severus had bite back a laugh at the décor. There were tartan curtains hanging from the windows, and a tartan cloth thrown at an angle over every table.

Minerva watched Severus eye her office for a moment before suppressing a chuckle of her own. She could tell that it was taking Severus a considerable effort to keep from making a comment.

"It is a bit different than you remember it I imagine." She commented holding out a biscuit tin.

Severus took a ginger newt from the tin and finally allowed the chuckle loose from his lips. "It is a vision in plaid."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at him. "You're different Severus. If I didn't know any better I would say you were happy."

"I do believe a life unencumbered by war and espionage does agree with me. Why did you ask me to come today, Minerva?" Severus said not unkindly.

"Well, I see you still dislike small talk. I asked you here today because I want to retire. I would like to retire in as little as a year and I am offering you the position of headmaster." She stated directly.

Severus stared at her in shock for a moment. "I don't imagine that the school governors would want me back in the school." He said dumbly. She was offering him headmaster? His heart was singing. He wanted it, he really did. He'd always wanted to be headmaster of Hogwarts and the year he had the job was tainted by the situation. He tried to keep his face impassive as she explained herself.

"You are a hero whether you like to be referred to one or not, Severus. The school governors all agree that you would be a sufficient replacement for me. But there is one other thing. Slughorn wants to return to retirement so we will need to find a potions instructor. I would like you to assist with the selection. I am afraid that there have been no applicants that match your caliber, or Slughorn's for that matter so I was hoping you might have a recommendation." She finished offering him another biscuit.

Dumbledore was leaning forward in his chair waiting for Severus' answer. Severus missed all the conversations he'd had with the portrait during his tenure as headmaster. Although it was just a portrait the presence of some form of Dumbledore was a constant comfort during the final year of the war. He would love to come back and teach potions himself but the prospect of headmaster was much more appealing. But he was to be married in a matter of months and that would make things difficult. Unless…

"The offer is tempting Minerva, but you might not have heard that I am currently engaged to be married. I have fallen subject to the marriage law and am quite happy to say that my match worked out quite well for me. I fear that if I were headmaster it would not bode well for my future wife unless she too was at Hogwarts which I happen to know is a dream of hers, to teach here that is." Severus said.

Minerva raised an eyebrow at him. "I heard rumors that you were betrothed. I've also heard rumors that you have been seen in public a few times with Rita Skeeter. Please tell me that you are not happily betrothed to that woman. She will never be allowed to reside in this castle."

There was a very audible snort of laughter from Dumbledore's portrait. Severus shot the old man a scathing look and the laughter quickly turned into a fit of coughing, Dumbledore's eyes twinkling with mirth all the while.

"Of course it is not Rita Skeeter." Severus snapped. "Although I think you very well know that. She would be crowing every one of my secrets to the world if she was privy to any of them and I am sure you would have heard of the engagement by now. No, I was matched with someone else that you know, and I happen to know that I could train her to be a very efficient potions master. She has all the qualities necessary to teach, intelligence, the desire to learn and help others, and infinite amounts of patience."

"She sounds wonderful. I however, don't have infinite amounts of patience so I would appreciate it if you would tell me who it is so that I might consider the idea."

"It is Hermione Granger of course." Severus said leaning back in his chair waiting for the bomb to go off. It was highly unlikely that Minerva's dear Gryffindor favorite would have been her ideal choice as a mate for Severus. Minerva had gone stone still as she stared at Severus as if waiting for him to say 'gotcha!' Dumbledore was sitting in his chair smiling knowingly as if he knew all along that Hermione was the perfect woman for Severus. Severus wouldn't have been surprised if that were true.

Sighing deeply Severus got up and went to Minerva's liquor cabinet. He poured her a generous amount of scotch and shoved the glass into her still hand. "Drink Minerva. Then speak. I assure the situation is not as it might seem to you. I realize the match is unorthodox but we are very compatible."

Minerva downed the scotch in one fluid movement. She savored the burn as it went down her throat. "I apologize Severus, I was just shocked I admit. I never imagined you with anyone, no offense, but now that I think about it I can see how your intelligence and mystique would be quite attractive to her."

"She is quite attractive to me as well, Minerva."

"Yes, you are different. The old Severus would never be so open about something like that. The position here at the school would unbind you from your contract though, you know that right?" Minerva commented pouring herself some more scotch and pouring a glass for Severus as well.

"Yes, I believe you are right." Severus said thoughtfully. He couldn't help but wish for a moment that he was offered this position before his deadline with the Ministry had arrived. Then he felt a twinge of guilt for thinking it because he did love Hermione and he was very happy with her. Working at the school was not only what he wanted to do but what she wanted to do as well. The situation was quite perfect, if only he could get Minerva to agree. "I am not looking for a way out of the contract. I might have in the beginning but I admit I am quite satisfied with my match."

"You are in love with the girl, aren't you?" Minerva asked dumbfounded. She never thought she would live to see the day when Severus Snape fell in love with someone else. He had pined over Lily for years and it was refreshing to see him moved on. Apparently Dumbledore agreed because he was still nodding and smiling earnestly.

Severus scowled at both the portrait and the Headmistress before answering. "Yes, I am in love with her. Enough so that I would want to be with her without the contract. I cannot, however, speak for her. If you would be willing to allow me to discuss the potential job openings with her I would appreciate it. If she wants out of the contract I will of course, step aside. Either way I believe she would want to work here, it is a dream of hers."

Minerva just nodded, dazed. They spent a few more minutes discussing the details of the position and then Severus left. He had not spoken one word to Dumbledore but he didn't feel upset about it this time. Hopefully there would be plenty of time for that later. For now, he had a lot to discuss with Hermione. He had no doubt she would like to hear about the job opening but he was worried about how she would react to being able to leave the contract. He truly hoped she wouldn't want to.

Back in the office Minerva rounded on Dumbledore's portrait. "You were awfully quiet."

Dumbledore just laughed, blue eyes sparkling brightly. "Sometimes, with Severus, I have learned to keep my mouth shut. I feared that if I verbally endorsed his relationship with Miss Granger his natural instinct to rebel would take over and he would end it instantly."

"Oh, you're an old codger." Minerva sighed. "I hope the best for them both."

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Well, here is my first update after the move. I arrived on Monday, still haven't finished unloading the moving truck and had some apartment issues so I will be staying in a hotel for awhile, which means, joy of all joys, I will get to move my crap all over again soon! Anyway, I apologize if this chapter is a little blah but I wanted to update. **

**Special thanks to whoopsydaisy who found some particularly confusing sentences in this chapter and I am glad she did.**

**Love your reviews! Keep em coming**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Same old story, different day.

Life For Rent

Chapter 15

Hermione felt slightly awkward as she entered Severus' house, now her house as well, after work. It was really strange going in without him being there, and it was even more bizarre to see her things neatly mixed in with his. Despite how absurd it felt, she felt oddly comfortable. Living with Severus was something she could quickly get used to. Their relationship was progressing smoothly, David had not bothered her again, Rita had not written any nasty articles, and they had professed their love for each other. They had eight months left before it was necessary they marry and Hermione wanted to bring up the subject of the wedding. At first she didn't think they would have an actual ceremony because she wasn't sure how he would feel about it but now that she was actually happy with him, she wanted to have a real wedding. Severus didn't seem like the type of person who would so she would just have to convince him. Hermione also wanted Ginny to be her made of honor, or matron of honor, which meant that they would have to wait at least three months for the babies to be born. It would give Severus plenty of time to come around to the idea.

Hermione went into the kitchen to start dinner. Severus had owled her at work to tell her that he was going out and that he would be home in time in for dinner. She reread the note several times like a lovesick school girl. It was not the first note she had received from him but it was the first one that hinted at their cohabitation and it was also the first time he had warned her that he would not be at home. Severus didn't strike Hermione as the type of person to concern himself with such things. He didn't say where he was going, probably somewhere for work, she just hoped that he was in a receptive mood when he got home. It was strange; she knew they were getting married, so why should the prospect of talking about a wedding with him make her so nervous? Glancing at the clock she saw that if she hurried she would have just enough time to make him his favorite meal before he got back.

*************************************************************************************

Severus strolled slowly along one of the streets in his neighborhood looking casually in the shop windows. The neighborhood had been renovated as part of some Muggle beautification project for the area but he had to admit that some of the places were actually quite quaint. There was a really good used and rare bookstore and a particularly nice antique shop which is where he was heading at that particular moment. Severus had gone over Minerva's offer in his mind all afternoon. He had no doubt that the idea of training to become a potions professor would appeal to Hermione but he was genuinely worried that being released from the Marriage Law would appeal to her more. He would be telling her that the teaching positions would unbind them. Briefly he had considered not telling her and letting her find out on her own, hopefully after it was too late. He realized how childish that was but he couldn't bear the though of losing her. Losing Lily had hurt, and if it was possible he loved Hermione even more, which meant that losing her would be akin to agony.

So, he was going to tell her about the offer, and about how it would release them from the obligations of the Marriage Law. That did not mean he wasn't going to do whatever it took to keep her if she had any inclination to leave. He knew that she cared for him but when it came to matters of the heart Severus' confidence was built upon a shaky foundation. Severus finally arrived at the shop he was looking for and went inside. It was dark and smelled of moth balls but he still loved it. The place was full of furniture, statues, and knick knacks, but it was the jewelry counter that drew his attention.

*************************************************************************************

Severus arrived home and walked into the kitchen to see Hermione sorting through the evening mail. Dinner was already laid on the table and it smelled wonderful. When she saw him she greeted with a large and warm smile and Severus truly felt his heart melt. _It's obvious that she wants to be with you, grow some balls and have a little faith in your relationship, _Severus chastised himself. She was so beautiful, and he was really lucky.

"How was your day?" Hermione stood up to give him a quick kiss. Instead of answering her Severus deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue until her knees went week and she was slightly dizzy. Hermione had to grab onto Severus' arms to keep from losing her balance.

"It was good, but better now." He said in a low voice. "Dinner smells great and I am starving."

Hermione was flushed from the kiss. She was also significantly turned on but incredibly pleased that he was in a good mood. Bringing up a wedding just got a lot easier. Trying to ignore the warm ache that was growing between her legs Hermione went back to the mail. Severus smirked at her as she handed him a couple of letters. He recognized that look. She wanted him but was trying to ignore it and go about her business.

Severus didn't say anything else but sat down and read through his mail. They were mostly potion orders with the exception of one from Narcissa inviting them both to dinner. He was wondering when that invitation was going to come.

"The Malfoys have invited us for dinner next Friday evening." Severus said casually but eyeing her carefully for her reaction. He understood that Lucius Malfoy was not one of her favorite people and he wasn't going to force her to attend but he wasn't exactly open to the possibility of giving up what few friends he had either.

Hermione just smirked and folded up the letter she was reading. "The Potters have invited us over for dinner this Saturday."

Severus groaned. So far he'd managed to get out of most visits with Potter but he knew this one was going to be nonnegotiable if Severus was to convince Hermione to go to the Malfoy's.

"So, I suppose we will do both then."

Hermione just smiled at him. "Yes, I suppose if you can at least attempt to befriend Harry, I can tolerate Lucius Malfoy for an evening. Don't expect me to keep my mouth shut if he insults me though."

"Don't worry." Severus took a long sip of his wine. He was tired of the small talk and wanted to get down to business before he lost his nerve. "Hermione, today I went to visit with Minerva McGonagall and she had a very interesting proposition for me."

Hermione put her fork down on her plate to give him her full attention, her curiosity piqued.

"She plans to retire in a year and offered me the position of Headmaster if I want it. They also asked me to assist them in selecting a new potions master."

Hermione jumped up from the table practically squealing with delight. She wrapped Severus in a warm embrace. "Congratulations! You said yourself that you wanted to go back to Hogwarts as headmaster to try again. Here's your chance!"

Severus hugged Hermione back for a moment before pushing her gently back into her chair. "That's not the entire offer. I am in a position to select the potions master and I was going to ask you if you would be interested." He held up a hand to stop her from speaking, "I would be required to train you as my apprentice between now and through your first year teaching in order to properly qualify you."

Hermione was practically bouncing up and down in her seat just like when she was in school and dying to answer a particularly difficult question. The prospect of leaving her boring desk job to make and teach potions was what she had always wanted as well. Teaching at Hogwarts was her dream and she couldn't believe that it was an actual possibility. And the real icing on the cake was that she would be taught by the most brilliant potions master in the country, and he was hers.

"That sounds wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed.

"There is one other thing you need to know before we discuss this further. By taking a teaching position at Hogwarts we are no longer bound by the Marriage Law. The Ministry does not require full time teachers to participate although they are more than welcome to, of course." Severus carefully watched Hermione's eyes for her reaction but her expression was blank.

Hermione was shocked. Did that mean he didn't want to marry her anymore? She fought to keep her voice calm and her tone matter-of-fact. "What are you trying to say? Are you saying that we shouldn't pursue our relationship anymore if you or both of us take the position at Hogwarts?"

"No, that's not what I am saying. I am telling you so that you have the option of backing out of the relationship now if you wish."

"Is that what you want?" Hermione asked incredulously.

Severus moved his chair around the table so that he was closer to her and reached for her hand. "I do want to void the contract."

Hermione gasped. She felt her heart breaking into a million little pieces and each shard fell like a knife into her stomach. Breaking up with David had not felt like this at all. A tear fell unbidden down her cheek and as she reached it up to wipe it away another fell. She looked away from Severus, embarrassed that he would see her so weak and outraged that he would say he wanted to end things so easily.

"Don't cry, Hermione. I do want to void the contract because," Severus got out of his chair and bent down on one knee. He pulled gently on Hermione's chin to get her to look at him. "I want you to marry me because you want to, not because you have to. I love you, Hermione Granger. Will you marry me?"

Hermione continued to cry but this time they were tears of relief and happiness. She wanted to hit him for leading her on like that even if it was only for a moment. Severus was down on one knee holding out a ring. It was a ruby ring with little diamonds surrounding the square cut stone. It was set in a band made of dark silver with tiny runes embossed around it. It was beautiful and completely nontraditional, just like their relationship.

"Stop trying to read the runes and answer me, Hermione. Will you marry me?" He asked again.

Hermione looked at him guiltily and then leapt from her chair and into his arms. "Yes Severus. Of course I will marry you. I was going to anyway you know." She joked lightly before kissing him deeply.

Severus broke the kiss and placed the ring on her left hand. "I was going to give you this ring whether we got married for the contract or not but I am glad to give it to you freely. I have one more thing I want to do."

Severus reached into another pocket and pulled out two sheets of parchment that Hermione recognized as their marriage contract. Tapping them with his wand he set them to fire. "There. Now it is official."

Hermione was at a loss for words. This was a side of Severus that she didn't think she would ever get to see. It felt wonderful having a real proposal, which was something she thought she was going to have to give up. Talking to Severus about a wedding just got much easier but first she wanted to show him she loved him in an entirely different way. Picking up the bottle of wine and their glasses Hermione started walking out of the room raising her eyebrows at him suggestively.

Severus immediately leapt after Hermione and practically dragged her up the stairs. He had wanted her before but this time was different. This time he was aching to taste her in ways he had yet to taste to her. Once they were in the bedroom Severus pulled her shirt off of her and pushed her down on the bed in one swift movement. He pulled his own shirt and pants off quickly before bending over her and capturing her mouth with his. Even through her skirt and his underwear Hermione could feel the heat of his cock as he pressed against her. After a couple of minutes Severus had to pull away so they could breathe. When he did he immediately divested Hermione of her the rest of her clothes and stared at her body hungrily for a moment.

"Aren't we in a hurry?" Hermione teased in a husky voice.

"I want you, Hermione." Severus growled in a low voice as he took off his boxers and bent over her again. Hermione felt liquid heat pool in between her legs at the sound of his desire.

"Then have me." She said looking into his fathomless eyes. Severus kissed her again quickly and then moved his mouth further south and started suckling her nipples. He left little love bites around her areolas that left Hermione gasping for air. Severus had never been so rough before and her body was responding to his touches as if she had never been touched before. Severus roughly pulled away from chest and moved to kiss her again.

"I love your body, Hermione." He said silkily as he kissed his way back down her body again. This time he didn't stop until reached the apex of her legs and he quickly buried his nose in her pubic curls breathing in her sent. Hermione's hips bucked at the contact even though he hadn't done anything yet. In fact he had never touched her that way before and Hermione felt her body start quivering in anticipation of what was to come. After a moment of grazing his nose against her curls he lapped out with his tongue to taste her slick folds. She tasted like ambrosia and Severus couldn't believe he had waited this long to fully savor her. Hermione's hips ground into his face as he continued his ministrations.

"Severusss," She moaned sibilantly. "I want more."

Eager to comply Severus lapped up her juices one last time before pulling away and repositioning himself over her. His cock was as hard as steel and throbbing. Hermione reached down and wrapped a warm hand around his member eliciting a loud moan from Severus. He couldn't recall ever having been that hard before. He grasped Hermione's hand and gently pulled it away placing it over head.

"Easy Hermione, or this 'more' you are asking for will be woefully short-lived."

Hermione ground her hips against him, her eyes darkened wantonly. "Then fuck me now Severus!" She ground out.

Severus felt himself harden even more at her words. He quickly grasped her other hand and pulled it over her head as well. Hermione spread her legs wider and scooted her body as low as she could to press herself against Severus' erection. He grasped both of her wrists with one and used the other to hook her leg over his shoulder and then he drove himself in as deep as he could. He moaned loudly as the velvety feel of her enveloped him tightly. After a moment of savoring the sensation he started to slowly move in and out of her. He was already close to coming and he wanted to make the moment last as long as possible.

"Harder, Severus!" Hermione demanded trying to free her hands but he held fast.

"It won't last Hermione, if I give you what you want."

"I don't care!" She yelped meeting each of his strokes with force of her own.

Severus released her wrists for support, hooking her other leg over his other shoulder he drove into her, pounding her into the mattress. Severus couldn't tell whose shouts of pleasure were whose as he continued to thrust inside of her. Just as soon as he knew he was going to explode he felt her walls constricting around him, massaging his cock and adding to his already intensifying bliss. He said her name over and over again as his own frenzy overtook him and he climaxed inside of her. Severus flopped on top of her without pulling out breathing heavily.

Hermione was gulping in great breaths of air trying to regain her composure. Her vaginal muscles were still contracting around Severus' cock even as it softened inside of her sending little waves of continued ecstasy through her body. When he made to move off of her she grasped him to hold him still. She wasn't ready for him to pull out yet.

After a few minutes when both of their breaths had returned to normal Severus finally rolled off of her. She felt an overwhelming sense of loss as his limp penis exited her body. When he was in her she had felt more complete than she ever had before. Without him inside her she missed him already, even though he was lying right next to her.

"So that is love then." Hermione mused out loud.

Severus rolled on to his side and began tracing circles on her stomach around her belly button.

"What is?" He asked, although he had an idea.

She turned her head to look him in the eyes, not sure how he was going to take her sappy comment. "Wanting you. Not just wanting to live with you or marry you, or work with you, but wanting you inside of me, all the time."

Severus laid there quietly contemplating her words. He had never tried to define what he felt for Hermione beyond simply saying he loved her. If he really thought about it he would say that love entailed all those things she had just mentioned, but for him it also meant wanting to teach her, wanting children, wanting to be a little less sarcastic and mean, and a little more nurturing. For him it meant not being able to remember the last time he had thought about Lily. Severus would do anything for Hermione and he only hoped he didn't disappoint her.

"Yes, Hermione. It is all of those things and much more."

Hermione leaned over and gave him long but chaste kiss. "Good, I'm glad you said that because I want to talk about the wedding. As in, I want a real one with the dress and the reception; nothing too fancy, but a wedding all the same."

"Oh, here we go." Severus said with a hint of sarcasm. They were officially engaged for less than an hour and it was already time for him to start perfecting his 'yes dear.' He was hoping to stand up in front of an official and maybe two witnesses to do their 'I dos.' He should have known Hermione might have a different plan. _I can add that to the list of things that mean I love Hermione, _he thought as Hermione rambled on about colors and guest lists, _I will attend the first wedding I have ever been to, just for her._

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Special thanks to Whoopsydaisy for being my clever beta. So this story is about at its halfway mark give or take a chapter. **

**Thanks for all of your reviews! I am almost at 200 woo hoo! Lets see if we can get there after this chapter. I love hearing your opinions and trust me I do take them into consideration as I write the story. Thanks for reading!!!**


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: JKR I am not.

Life For Rent

Chapter 16

"So, you actually want to have a wedding ceremony Hermione?" Ginny asked happily. Hermione and Severus were at Grimmauld Place having dinner. Severus cringed inwardly at Ginny's question. He was not looking forward to the very public display of his attention that he knew he wouldn't be able to get out of.

Hermione looked over at Severus, smirking slightly before she answered. "Just a small one. I never dreamed of a huge wedding. I just want something small but nice. It's for my parents just as much as it is for me and Severus."

"I never saw you as the type to care about things like that, Hermione." Harry quipped around a large mouthful of shepherd's pie.

"Once again, Harry, you demonstrate how little you have paid attention to me. I realize that this is difficult for you to comprehend from time to time but I am still a girl, and all girls want to have an actual wedding." Hermione was not unlike every other female she knew in that aspect. She dreamed of walking down the aisle just the same as everyone else.

Severus smirked at Hermione's jab at Harry. Severus knew that Harry paid little attention to Hermione as a female and tended to ignore her more feminine traits, for which Severus was grateful. If Harry had noticed Hermione's budding beauty when they were students he might have been the one to end up with her.

"What about you, Severus? Do you want to have a wedding ceremony?" Harry asked slyly.

_That presumptuous brat, _thought Severus, _of course he knows I wouldn't and he's trying to put me on the spot._ "Hermione and I have come to an understanding about the wedding. I did not expect her to forgo a wedding ceremony just because we were unceremoniously thrown together."

"So you don't want to do it?"

"Harry!" Hermione said. "Leave him alone. I said the ceremony will be small and I wouldn't do anything Severus didn't agree to."

Harry just laughed. He could see Severus' jaw clenching which was a clear indicator that he didn't want a party and that he didn't like Hermione coming to his rescue against Potter. And he didn't like being talked about as if he was not there. Severus was willing to have any kind of wedding that would annoy Potter. Maybe he should invite the bloody paparazzi. Potter would love that.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "Ginny have you picked out baby names yet? When are you going to stop working?"

Harry and Severus both exchanged a glance. It amazed them how girls always asked a string of questions before allowing one to respond.

"We do have names actually, and I will quit only when I have too. I already can only work home games and training but team has been great." Ginny worked as a sports healer for the Holyhead Harpies. "Anyway, for the names, we were thinking Lily and Molly if they are girls or James and Arthur if they are boys."

Hermione looked at Severus. She knew what he was thinking, with Harry's eyes and Ginny's hair there could be another clone of his beloved Lily running around at Hogwarts in eleven years or, even worse there could be a James Potter the third terrorizing the place. Harry could see the tension in Severus' face as well.

"Or, we were thinking Albus Severus." Harry said seriously.

Severus couldn't conceal his disapproval on that one. "I do hope you are joking."

"Why would I be? Are you saying that a child of mine isn't good enough for your namesake?"

"It's an abominable name and no I am not saying that." Severus continued eyeing Harry carefully. Finally Harry grinned.

"Yeah, I'm joking. We will name them after our parents, don't worry." Harry laughed.

Severus sighed with relief. The last thing he wanted was a child of Potters to carry part of his name, especially now that he was ready to start thinking about children of his own. Severus shuddered a little at the thought. When had he become so domesticated? Severus looked over at Hermione, who was still chatting happily about names, and wondered not for the first time what kind of mother she would make. A good one he was sure. His own abilities as a parent were still in question, however.

"Severus?" Harry asked breaking him from his thoughts.

Severus just cocked an eyebrow at him and took another bite of his pie. The dinner was going pleasantly enough, as long as Harry didn't focus so much direct attention at him, but this evening Harry had been watching Severus intently as if he was dying to ask him something. Now that he was obviously about to ask Severus intended to keep his mouth full in order to prevent himself with a hasty refusal or insult to whatever his question might be.

"I have some things that you might want to see. I have a box of stuff that my Aunt Petunia sent over, things that belonged to my mother."

The room immediately quieted as they all waited to hear Severus' response. Severus at once regretted his large bite of food because now not only were they watching his reaction, they were also watching him masticating a large bit of a meat like a cow chewing a cud. It was acutely uncomfortable. Swallowing thickly down a throat that had gone dry, Severus fought to keep his face blank.

"Why do you presume that I would wish to see it?" He asked tonelessly. It was true he had not thought about Lily in a long time but that didn't mean that seeing memorabilia from her life would not open old wounds. He knew Potter was fishing for stories about Lily and he still wasn't sure he was ready to share them. Hermione reached out a comforting hand and patted him on the arm. He looked into her eyes for a moment and saw the understanding in her eyes. She could see his internal struggle even if Harry and Ginny couldn't. Ginny however, did see the look of love and accord that passed between them, and it took all of her energy to keep still in her seat and refrain from exclaiming '_awww.'_

Harry looked slightly put out, "I just thought you know, since you were so close and all…"

"Very well then, you may show me what you will." Severus said stonily.

It wasn't exactly the warm reception that Harry was hoping for but it would have to do. There were a few pictures of Snape with his mother in the box and he was only hoping to get the stories behind each of those and nothing more. Anything more would've been pushing it and Harry wasn't that stupid. There was still the chance that Severus might not say anything at all about the pictures. Harry wolfed his dinner down in a hurry so they could get to the box but much to his annoyance Severus took small bites and ate slowly, clearly prolonging the moment. _That man is still insufferable, _Harry thought to himself.

After what felt like hours to Harry but only moments to Severus, Harry finally got him upstairs to the library. Severus had spent many hours in the library while the house was being used as the Order's headquarters and was pleasantly surprised that nothing inside of it had changed. Harry walked over to his desk and retrieved a small box from a side drawer. He opened it and spread the contents across the coffee table sitting in front of one of the long leather couches in the center of the room.

Severus stared at the first picture in the row. It was one of him and Lily when they were about ten. Petunia had taken the picture when neither of them was looking but he remembered yelling at her to give him the film that day and she had refused. In the picture Lily and Severus were sitting next to each other beneath a tree in their favorite park. She had a comforting arm around his shoulders and was smiling at him kindly while he wiped away tears. The oversized cloak that he wore at all times during his childhood was spread on the ground beneath them like a blanket. Severus touched the picture lightly with his fingertips and then pushed it aside.

The other pictures were mostly from their school days taken during summer breaks when they would spend the most time together. They were all of the two of them standing together arms around each other's shoulders. There was one there for every summer up until fifth year.

"Lily insisted that we have a picture of us taken every summer. She wanted to see how we aged from year to year. There really is not much to tell about these." Severus said startling Harry.

Harry watched Severus' face for a moment trying to decide how best to phrase his next question. "Did my mother ever like you, erm, I mean romantically?"

Severus clenched his fists tightly. "I don't know. I don't think so." Severus looked into the corner of the room and stared at a cobweb that hung from the ceiling. "She might have but I never had the courage to ask her. I never told her I loved her either but I tried to show her through my actions."

Harry thought back to Severus' memories from the Final Battle and remembered how he sat in front of Gryffindor tower all night just to apologize.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Severus snapped, the last thing he wanted was Potter's pity.

"That my mother never forgave you for calling her a Mudblood. Lots of people have called Hermione one but she has managed to let things go. Remus always said my mother was uncommonly kind and had a way of seeing the good in people. I think she missed it in you." Harry said quietly.

Severus picked up the first picture he had seen, the one where he was crying. "She was kind. It was my friends she didn't approve of. I was a misfit at Hogwarts and I didn't have many friends. I don't think she really understood how hard I had to struggle to be accepted in my own house."

Severus was shocked at how easily the words poured from his mouth. "Even if she had forgiven me; she still would have chosen your father. I know that but it doesn't change how I felt. I am sorry, Harry, but there is really nothing I can tell you about your mother. Would she have loved you? Yes. Was she a good person? Yes."

Harry just nodded. "I should have understood that before. You knew my mother when you were kids and I guess I expected a little too much. I treated you like you owed me an explanation when you already showed me everything there was to tell in your memories. I realize that now. I guess you were sort of right about my dad too. He was a bit of a bully."

Severus continued to turn the picture over and over again in his hands. "Your father was a bully, but I was wrong to compare you to him all the time. I know you didn't bully anyone but you did have a self-righteous attitude as you so kindly just pointed out for me. Your mother was an uncommonly kind child. She was always there to comfort me when my parents fought. Hermione does remind me of her in a lot of ways. They both advocate for those that are less fortunate and are gifted witches and potion makers. I guess the major difference between the two is that Hermione will stand up for me where Lily wouldn't. Harry, I have not forgotten your mother, but her memory is no longer the driving force that gets me out of bed in the morning. I cannot stress to you enough how strongly our discussions of her over."

Severus dropped the picture back on the table and stood up. He was not necessarily uncomfortable but he definitely wanted to find Hermione and see if she was ready to go. He'd had enough of the Potter's for one evening.

"So you really love her then?" Harry asked.

"I thought I just said this conversation was over."

Harry sighed. "Not my mother, Hermione. She is my best friend, Severus and I love her like a sister and I only want the best for her. I could stand here and say that if you hurt her I will hex your balls off, but we both know I wouldn't stand a chance in a duel with you." Harry's expression grew fiercer. "I'm serious. I understand that you came together in an unorthodox manner but Hermione deserves someone who thinks she walks on water. If you don't want to think about my mother anymore because Hermione overshadows any good memories you had of her than I think that's great. I know Hermione will make a wonderful wife and mother but I need to know if you see that too."

"Careful, Potter. Your Gryffindor sentimentality is showing." Severus said sarcastically. He realized it was an idiotic thing to say as well but he really didn't know how to respond.

"So what? You can be sentimental too. You just were a minute ago. Why can't you say how you feel about Hermione? Is it because it's me? Or, is it because the feelings just aren't there and you would rather evade my question than give me the truth?" Harry demanded facing Severus squarely, his temper rising.

"Yes, I love her Potter." Severus spat. "I can't sleep when she's not in bed with me. I miss her while she is at work. When I brew potions I actually think of how Hermione would brew the exact same one. I lay awake at night and watch her sleep because I can't take my eyes off of her. Every time I see Ginny rub her stomach I imagine how beautiful Hermione's going to look when she is carrying my child. I can't even think about what I am going to do tomorrow without thinking of Hermione first let alone fifty years from now. She gave me my life back, Potter, and I'll be damned if I'll let anything take it away. So there, are you satisfied? Still want to hex my balls off?"

"I er, I don't, I didn't…" Harry stammered utterly speechless at Severus' words.

Severus was no longer uncomfortable, now he was angry. How dare Potter insinuate that he wouldn't do right by Hermione? It was one thing for Severus to have self-doubts but it was another entirely to have Potter call him out on them. Instead of waiting for Harry to articulate a response he turned abruptly toward the door. If he was wearing his teacher's robes they would have swished and billowed impressively. Severus looked forward to the day when he would be back at Hogwarts scaring little children. He'd had enough emotional spillage to last quite a long time. If he was going to be kind to Hermione and her friends then he was going to need an outlet for his nasty side. First year Gryffindors would do nicely.

*************************************************************************************

"What do you think those two are talking about?" Ginny asked Hermione as she served them both generous portions of coffee cake. "I love this stuff lately."

"Well let's see, Harry is probably asking Severus something he doesn't want to answer, so Severus is giving him sort of snarky response, and Harry is wishing he could hex his balls off."

Ginny snorted with laughter. "That sounds about right. So tell me about that ring you have on your hand. Is that an engagement ring? You and Severus seem different tonight, but in a good way. What's going on with you two?"

This time Hermione laughed at Ginny's usual deluge of questions. She told Ginny about the job offers at Hogwarts and how Severus had told her loved and her and burned their marriage contract and proposed instead. Ginny was bouncing up and down squealing with delight as Hermione told her tale.

"Ooh, I knew Snape was the romantic type behind all that sarcasm and mystery. Someone with that kind of voice and those hands just can't be all bad. So how is the sex now that you are in love? Better right?" Ginny was bubbling with excitement.

"Oh my god, Ginny! It was so intense when we did it after he proposed. I actually told him to fuck me!" Hermione admitted blushing furiously but glad she had Ginny to tell, sex that good should not be kept secret. "But you can't say anything to Harry!"

"My lips are sealed! Do you know how jealous Parvati and Lavender would be if they could hear you now? And now you two are going to rule Hogwarts as the Snapes. It is so exciting, I know you are going to make a wonderful teacher! Now, we just have to discuss two things. First we have to plan your wedding and secondly, when are you going to start trying for a baby?"

"Ugh Ginny. We can definitely talk about the wedding but I don't want to think about a baby yet. Now that we aren't bound by the law anymore we have plenty of time to think about it. We both have new careers to start soon." Hermione said.

"Fine, but you can't wait too long. I don't want my babies to be too much older than yours. I think it would be fun if they all went to Hogwarts together."

"Ginny, my kids are going to be at Hogwarts no matter what. I will be living there ten months out of the year soon. It's going to be weird being married in that castle." Hermione took a large bite of the coffee cake and then pushed the rest away. At the rate Ginny fed her desserts she would have gained ten pounds every time they met if she had ate it all. "Can we talk about the wedding now?"

"No, I want to go upstairs and eavesdrop on our men." Ginny said pulling out two extendable ears from a kitchen drawer.

Hermione stared at her mouth agape. It was amazing how quickly that girl could switch gears. "Ginny! I can't just invade Severus' privacy that way!"

"Privacy my butt, Hermione. You live with him now; you don't have any privacy left. Besides, aren't you a little curious about what they are saying? Maybe we should intervene just in case they are ready to kill each other; they have been up there for quite awhile." Ginny pleaded.

Hermione rolled her eyes for the millionth time that evening. "You have spent entirely too much time in a large family. Of course I have privacy. We don't tell each other _everything_ and I certainly don't talk to him about Lily."

"Come on, Hermione. How about we take a dessert tray up to them and if we hear anything before we go in it will be totally innocent."

"Innocent and you just do not go together." Hermione laughed as Ginny put her hands together as if praying and batted her eyelashes while she pouted her lips. "That won't work with me, Gin."

"Fine, I will just go without you and if I hear anything juicy I just won't tell you." Ginny said as she busied herself readying a tray. She smiled at Hermione as she started up the stairs. Sighing with exasperation, Hermione got up and followed after her, determined to stop her.

At the top of the stairs they could hear raised voices coming through the library door. Ginny looked at Hermione with raised eyebrows.

"I told you they would be arguing." Hermione whispered.

"Shhh, listen." Ginny leaned against the door. They could hear muffled voices through the door.

*************************************************************************************

"Wait, Severus."

Severus stopped without turning around gritting his teeth in frustration. The boy was absolutely relentless. "What?"

"Thanks. For everything, you know taking care of Hermione, talking about my mom. I know you don't like doing those things." Harry said to Severus' back.

Severus' expression hardened but not at Harry's words. He heard a muffled thump on the other side of the library door. "Potter I think your wife is trying to eavesdrop."

"What?" Harry walked over to the door and yanked it open. Sure enough Ginny stumbled in carrying a dessert tray. Hermione was lingering a few feet behind looking sheepish. Severus scowled at her.

"Ginny, you have got to stop doing that." Harry reprimanded taking the tray from her.

Ginny smiled up at him sweetly. "We didn't hear anything, we were just bringing up a dessert tray and making sure you weren't hexing each other."

"It's true, Harry. We didn't hear anything." Hermione spoke to Harry but she was looking at Severus. His eyes were hard and blacker than normal and Hermione suspected that he was quite furious at being spied on. And then Hermione felt it, the little tug in the back of her mind that one feels when their mind is being invaded. She immediately closed her mind off and glared daggers back at Severus. Severus had the good grace to look slightly ashamed but it did not lessen Hermione's anger.

"Harry, Ginny, thanks for a lovely evening but I think it's time Severus and I left." Hermione said hugging her friends goodbye and taking Severus' hand to lead him to the downstairs floo. Ginny and Harry stayed behind in the library looking stunned. Ginny instantly felt horrible. Hermione had warned her that Severus would not take kindly to being spied on and she was afraid that something horrible had just passed between them.

"I can't believe you used Legilimency on me, Severus." Hermione hissed as they exited the floo back at their house. She stomped off into the kitchen to make some tea, and then changing her mind grabbed the bottle of firewhiskey instead. Pouring herself a shot she downed it in one swallow. Nothing infuriated her more than having her mind invaded.

Severus was angry at Harry for prying, angry at Ginny for spying and it had been a knee jerk reaction to probe Hermione's mind for the truth regarding their eavesdropping. He was impressed at how quickly she'd erected walls around her mind and made a mental note to discuss it with her some time when she would be more receptive to the topic.

"Hermione, I really didn't mean to. It just happened. I was already angry at Harry for running his mouth about things that were none of his business and then I hear his meddlesome wife lurking at the door and you were right behind her. I lost my temper. You forget that I used to use Legilimency just about every time I looked someone in the eyes for years. I slipped and you shouldn't have been eavesdropping. I thought you had more respect for other people's privacy." Severus retorted pouring himself a glass of whiskey since she had not offered him one.

"I said I wasn't listening and I tried to stop Ginny. And don't insult my friends." Hermione said refusing to back down. "I really don't appreciate having you probe my mind. You didn't even give me a chance to explain or believe me when I said I heard nothing. How is that supposed to make me feel? What could you have possibly been talking about that would have been so bad for me to hear?"

She had him on that one but it didn't stop him from being offended by the comment. He had said nothing he shouldn't be able to tell Hermione to her face and she should know that. But, he was a private person and he had done enough sharing for one day so he wasn't going to tell her a damn thing. She was telling the truth about not wanting to eavesdrop he had gotten that much from her before she blocked him from her mind. He had really messed up and he had no idea how to fix it. If their roles had been reversed he would be livid. Severus said nothing. He didn't know what to say.

"I'm going to bed, Severus." Hermione said dejectedly. She dropped her glass in the sink and walked toward the door not looking at Severus.

"Hermione, that's not fair. I looked into your mind because I thought you were spying on me and that concerns me. I don't appreciate having my privacy invaded like that."

"And I do? Look, I accept your apology Severus. I'm not mad at you; I'm just disappointed that you had so little trust in me. I was actually going to stop Ginny but you caught her before I could. I don't know what I can do to increase your confidence in me. I'm sure that if you wanted me to know what you and Harry were talking about, you would tell me. It just really hurt that you would try to see my thoughts."

"It was an impulse, Hermione." Severus said walking up to her. "I don't know what to do. How do we stop this fight?"

"I love you, Severus."

"What?"

"That's how we stop this fight." Hermione said reaching for his hand and looking at him solemnly. "I tell you I love you, even if I don't like you very much at the moment. I forgive you for the Legilimency and I would appreciate it if you would start trying harder to trust me. I will make sure that Ginny doesn't spy on you. And you can trust Harry. If you told Harry something in confidence he will keep it, even from Ginny."

Severus pulled Hermione close and kissed her forehead. Fighting with Hermione frightened him. He was afraid that she would either leave or they would slowly start to hate each other but stay together like his parents did. "I love you, too. Even if you don't like me very much right now. When do you think you will like me again? I do apologize." He said somewhat sheepishly.

"That doesn't mean I am going to let you off the hook." Hermione said into his chest her resolve melting at the feel of his comforting arms and his heady scent.

Severus tensed and pushed her back looking into her eyes worriedly.

"I just mean you need to take me upstairs and show me how sorry you really are." She said kissing him slowly.

"Hmmm, maybe we should fight again after dinner with the Malfoys too."

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Whoopsydaisy was particularly influential in this chapter so lets all give her a big whoop whoop cuz she is the bomb diggity.**

**Anyway, love your reviews, your comments are great!!! **


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Same as usual.

Life For Rent

Chapter 17

Hermione was in a foul mood, worse than she had been in a long time. She was working on making Veritaserum with Severus and had messed it up twice already. Severus had actually stormed out of his lab with his robe billowing behind him in full Professor Mode. Hermione had slumped down on her stool weeping in frustration. She didn't blame him for being angry because the ingredients she had wasted were rare and expensive. It wasn't his fault that she had been snapping at him all morning either. The previous night they had argued extensively over their guest list for the wedding and what kind of ceremony they would have.

Severus didn't want to invite more than a few immediate friends and family which Hermione agreed to, but then he didn't want to do a separate wedding for her Muggle family that didn't know she was a witch and he had firmly refused stating that it was going to be bad enough standing up in front of people he did know in a traditional magical ceremony and that she couldn't possibly expect him to do it again for a bunch of Muggles he had never met. Hermione had insisted that if he really loved her he wouldn't care and he had insisted that it had nothing to do with that. She finally relented but only after she said they could just have the civil union he wanted in the first place or they could fly to Vegas for all she cared. He had looked at her strangely when she mentioned that.

Then they argued about how much time they were going to be spending in the lab. Severus had given Hermione a syllabus and when she mentioned that it was intense he had made a sarcastic comment about her not being up to the task which led to another fight. He apologized for the comment but Hermione ignored him and in her temper had succeeded in messing up two batches of Veritaserum. As Severus had stomped up the stairs she could hear him mumbling under his breath about being up all night and having to cancel dinner with the Malfoys to brew the damn potions himself.

The dinner with the Malfoys was one of the reasons that her mood had been on edge all week. Instead of admitting to Severus that she still felt weak with fear when she imagined being in the house she was once tortured in she set herself on a path of self-destructive bickering and moodiness in hopes that he wouldn't want to take her. She realized that her behavior was ridiculous and was causing problems but talking about the war with Severus was just as hard for her as it was for him. She didn't want him to know about her experiences and she especially didn't want him to know that her palms got clammy and her stomach threatened to empty every time she imagined what had happened to her at the Malfoy Manor. He would just see her as cowardly and she couldn't live with that. Now she had to live with the fact that he thought she was a moody and incompetent potions brewer and a bridezilla on top of it all.

When Hermione heard Severus muttering that he was going to have to cancel dinner with the Malfoys to fix the potions she felt a brief flash of elation followed by sadness at the true disappointment she'd heard in his voice. She knew he was disappointed with her but he also missed his friends. Whether Hermione liked it or not Narcissa was one of Severus' best friends and in his own way he must want Hermione to like her too. Wiping her tears away and composing herself Hermione set off to find Severus and to come clean with why she had been such a bitch lately.

She found Severus in the library sitting at his desk writing something, a glass of Scotch sitting next to his left hand. He looked up at her when she entered but his face was expressionless and he just bent back over his paper and continued to write.

"Severus, can I talk to you for a minute?" Hermione asked tentatively. The true difference in their ages hit her like a brick wall in that moment. She felt like a fourth year student approaching the feared potions master rather than a grown woman asking her fiancé to listen to her apologies.

Severus didn't look up from his paper but he stopped writing for a moment. "I daresay you can."

Hermione bit back her frustration at his attitude. She shouldn't have expected him to be kind and grovel. She had been purely honest with him about her feelings up until this point and it killed her to have to admit that to him. She could be just as headfast as the best of them, including Severus. Hermione took a tentative step toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened at her touch but she didn't remove her hand.

"I know that I have been quite obstinate lately and I want to apologize. I also apologize for ruining the potion in my distraction and I will fix it. I won't insist on a Muggle wedding either. That was more for my parents than for me and I am sorry I pushed the issue. I will admit to you that I was trying to pick a fight." She said quietly not really willing to admit more unless he was responsive to what she'd just said.

Severus surprised her by reaching for the hand on his shoulder. Holding it in both of his hands he turned his chair to face her.

His expression was unreadable still but he stroked her hand with his thumb for a moment before releasing it and standing up. He walked away from her and went to look out the window. "What would possess you to goad me that way? And what is bothering you so much that you would actually destroy two batches of a very important potion? I don't know how to deal with histrionics, Hermione."

Hermione seethed a little at the word 'histrionics.' She wasn't _that_ bad, well maybe a little, but still. "I said I was sorry and that I will fix the potion. I won't intentionally pick a fight with you again. I know it was immature and childish and I had something on my mind that I didn't know how to deal with and I reacted badly."

Severus turned to look at her finally, one of his eyebrows practically disappearing into her hairline. "Had? From the tone of your voice I would say you are still in a snit. Now, if you will excuse me I need to inform the Malfoys that we will not be attending dinner tonight because the Veritaserum needs to be finished and shipped today."

"I said I would do it right, and I will do it right now. I still have plenty of time before the dinner." Now that she saw how angry he was about missing the dinner and messing up the potion she felt even worse. It wasn't as if she had messed up the first two batches on purpose but in hindsight it would have been better to admit that she wasn't in a fit state for brewing.

Severus sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hermione, I realize that when it comes to potions I am your teacher in a technical sense but I don't want to have this conversation as if you are my student. Please just tell me what it is that's bothering you so we can put it behind us and you can focus on learning potions."

Hermione thought he was being particularly insensitive if all he could think about was how his precious potions turned out. He didn't want to sound like her teacher but he did anyway. Of course, she was supposed to be learning how to be a potions master herself but his lack of concern for their relationship still infuriated her. She was going to tell him about her fear of returning to the Malfoy Manor but changed her mind. She would just have to suck it up and get past what had happened. It had been almost four years for crying out loud.

"I would rather not. Despite what you just said you are still treating me like a student. I would not wish to have this conversation with you if were just my teacher, it is too private. If your potion is all that you care about right now, I understand. The Ministry is an important client and for the last time I am sorry I messed it up. I will fix it right now. Please do not cancel the dinner invitation." Hermione turned on her heal and strode from the room.

Severus made no attempt to follow her. He was perfectly confident in her abilities to complete the potion because she had done it before, but what worried him was that something was bothering her deeply and she wasn't willing to discuss it. Whatever it was, it was turning her into an impossible shrew and he had no idea how to deal with that. For the first time in his life he was ready to seek relationship advice and the first person to come to mind was his friend Narcissa. Maybe she could shed some light on the situation. Severus scribbled a quick note to Hermione telling her he was going out for a little while but he doubted she would come up from the lab before he returned. He still thought it would be a bad idea to leave when they were both angry without a note. She would probably come to a whole slew of wrong conclusions if that happened.

Severus knocked on the door of the Manor sincerely hoping that he wasn't interrupting anything. He disliked ignoring proper protocol and showing up unannounced but when it came to his Hermione he was willing to forego social graces. He just wanted her back to her old self as selfish as that sounded.

"Severus! We weren't expecting you for hours." Narcissa exclaimed as she led him in the house. It was still fairly early but Narcissa was dolled up as if she had been out on the town for hours already. Her fastidiousness was one of the things that Severus found amusing about her. Hermione's lack of fastidiousness was one of the things he found most amusing about _her_. Severus could not help but think how ironic that was. His two favorite women in the world were polar opposites when came to looks and fashion but they were both intelligent and indescribably beautiful to him.

"I need some advice." Severus blurted before he'd even shrugged off his traveling cloak. "And yes, before you ask, it is about Hermione. She has turned into quite the harridan the past week and while she admitted that there is something on her mind she refuses to tell me about it. My instinct tells me it has something to do with the dinner tonight."

Narcissa covered her mouth to hide her smile. Severus was being overly melodramatic and that was not his usual style. This girl must really have a hold on him. "My, those are strong words, Severus. But tell me more."

Severus spent the next few minutes pacing in the parlor telling her the basics of their arguments. He glossed over some of the wedding details but explained with careful enumeration her mistakes with the potion. Narcissa rolled her eyes openly at that one. Leave it to Severus to gloss over the big picture, which is their relationship, but to describe minutely her mistakes with the potion. Tuning him out momentarily, Narcissa thought back to the last time she had personally encountered Hermione Granger. When the memory of the event surfaced in her mind, her breath caught in her throat. Narcissa held up a hand to stop Severus' tirade about the potions.

"Her mistakes with the potion are irrelevant Severus. Let's talk some more about why you think it is the dinner party that is weighing on her mind."

"I imagine it is because she is nervous about being around you and your husband. She has already expressed that she if afraid you will treat her poorly but she also said she would be fine. I assured her you both had no intentions of doing her harm and that I trust you, that should be good enough." Severus said helplessly.

Narcissa sighed. She didn't want to be wrong on this but it was important that Severus hear her theories. "Draco has become friendly with her so I am sure she could tolerate an evening with Lucius and I. Draco says she jokes that she wouldn't touch Lucius with a ten foot wand no matter how much he claims to have changed but she isn't serious. Now that she is with you I am sure that isn't the issue at all. After all, you don't even have to know Ms. Granger to know that she can take care of herself."

Narcissa stopped speaking long enough to pour herself some tea and pause for dramatic effect. After she stirred her tea a few times with a thoughtful, faraway look in her eyes, Severus huffed audibly. Narcissa smiled, she had achieved the desired effect. Impatient men were always willing to give in to what women had to say more quickly.

"No, Severus, I think she is afraid of returning to the scene of the crime."

"The crime? What crime?" Severus demanded. "What did you do to her?"

"It's not I who did to her, or Lucius for that matter. It was Bellatrix and Greyback. Severus, don't you remember? When the Greyback caught her and her friends this is where they brought them. That day Potter escaped Bellatrix tortured your little Hermione within an inch of her life and it happened right here in this house." Narcissa said with a satisfied smirk as Severus mouth formed an 'O' of realization.

Severus sat heavily in a chair. "So, she doesn't want to go back to the place it happened and she didn't want to tell me about it."

"I could be wrong but it wouldn't kill you to be a little nicer to her when you ask her what's bothering her. Based off of what you told me about your argument earlier today you weren't exactly trying to be sympathetic or even nice. After everything you went through for both wars she is no doubt convinced that you would view her as weak. Does she never talk to you about her part in it?" Narcissa asked.

Severus closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the chair. "No, Cissy. She is very open about her feelings and her life in the present but when it comes to the war she loathes speaking about it as I do. I am curious about what she went through of course, but I don't bring it up. If I ask her questions, she will return them, and I wouldn't be willing to answer. You can tell me though, what happened that day? I never got the full details."

Narcissa thought carefully for a moment. It really was not her place to tell Severus anything but he looked happy for the first time in many long years and she wanted to help him get to know his fiancé better even if it was meddling a bit. But Narcissa Malfoy was never one to qualm at meddling in other people's affairs. After a few moments contemplation Narcissa conjured a small vial and placed the memory of the day inside.

"You may use the Pensieve in the library if you wish."

Severus took the proffered vial and made his way to the Malfoy library. The Pensieve was sitting in a lovely display cabinet in the center of the room. Removing the heavy basin from the cabinet and setting it on a table, Severus wasted no time in plunging into the memory.

The memory began with a thin, dirty, and bruised Hermione being held down by Greyback. Severus' stomach turned as the wolfish man yanked hard on her Hermione's hair exposing her throat. Greyback was up against her close sniffing from her chin down to her cleavage. Hermione's eyes were squinted almost closed and her nose was wrinkled in distaste. In Hermione's lap was the sword of Godric Gryffindor. The sword that just hours earlier Severus had hidden in the Forest of Dean for them to find. Severus tuned out the argument that was going on between all the people in the room and focused on Hermione. She looked terrified and tired, a combination Severus knew from personal experience was disastrous in the kind of situation she was in. It meant that she was weak and wouldn't last long under torture.

Hermione surprised him however. He watched with a heavy heart as Bellatrix fired Cruciatus after Cruciatus at Hermione and she still wouldn't tell where the sword came from, eventually claiming that the sword was a fake. He continued to watch in disgust as Bellatrix threw a weakened Hermione to Greyback to be brutalized but that was when Weasley and Potter escaped from the dungeons to rescue her. When Bellatrix grabbed Hermione again and stuck the tip of her knife into Hermione's throat, Severus actually felt tears prick behind his eyes. He had noticed that scar on her neck but had never asked her about it. She had a lot of scars, as did he, and he preferred to keep quiet about it. But now seeing this happen to the woman he loved made him wish that he could bring Bella to life just so he could kill her again. The memory ended as Dobby disappeared with Hermione.

Severus replaced the Pensieve and went back to the parlor where Narcissa was waiting patiently. He handed the vial of memories back to her without saying and sat back down in the chair he had vacated earlier.

"Well?" Narcissa asked dying to hear what he had to say. She knew Severus was quite capable of feeling intense emotion even if he didn't show it but this was one of those times he was having difficulties hiding it. Storm clouds were brewing in his eyes.

"Well what, Narcissa?" He snapped angrily. "I should have known. I am an utter fool. It all makes perfect sense; of course she doesn't want to come here. She probably did mess up those potions knowing we had to cancel but I made her feel like such an incompetent fool she immediately regretted it. I am sure I just made matters worse."

Narcissa placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You behaved as you typically do and whether or not that is a good thing is not relevant right now. Whether you actually decide to talk to Hermione about what you saw is up to you as well, but I will advise you to try to be a little more sensitive to Hermione's moods. She is not an irrational person from what I know of her so if she is behaving irrationally you might want to consider why that might be. Maybe you should cancel tonight so that you can work this out with her."

Severus considered cancelling and then decided against it. "No, I don't want to cancel because I know she will feel guilty about it no matter the reason. I will go back and help her finish the potion and see if what you told me today is correct."

"If it helps, we can change the venue. Why don't we meet at a Bonus Victus for dinner tonight at eight o'clock instead of here at seven?" Narcissa suggested.

"That would be better. Thank you, Narcissa. I really must be going now." Severus kissed his friend on the cheek and apparated home. Narcissa touched her face where his lips had been and smiled fondly. If she wasn't so in love with Lucius Severus wouldn't stand a chance. She just hoped that Hermione Granger was woman and witch enough for her friend.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: I don't really have much to say today…. I love your reviews, love em, love em.**

**Special thanks to my beta whoopsydaisy who even reads my chapters when she's sleepy. How cool is that?**


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: You know the drill

**I want to give a shout out to Baka-Pyros who said something in a review that I put in the story. I hope you don't mind!**

Life For Rent

Chapter 18

When Severus got home the note he'd left on the kitchen table was still untouched just as he'd suspected. Hermione was, no doubt, still down in the lab perfecting the Veritaserum. If Severus knew anything about Hermione it was that whatever it was that was bothering her, her fear of Severus' disapproval would be stronger and she would fix the potion. That thought actually worried him a little because he wanted her to trust him absolutely, but it was clear that she didn't. She was still slightly afraid of him, especially when he shifted into his professor persona, and she withheld a lot of information about her past. Severus' talk with Narcissa made him realize that while she had no problem talking extensively about current events and feelings, anything that happened to her pre-Severus seldom came up. Now he wondered if that was because she didn't like talking about it or if she didn't trust Severus with her feelings.

Severus decided to make some tea and a snack for Hermione. While he was waiting for the kettle to steam he drummed his fingers on the counter in agitation. If Hermione didn't trust him with her feelings about her school years or the war it was primarily his fault because he'd made her life pretty damn miserable during those years. _How in the hell is she supposed to trust me? I am a cruel, old, Death Eater, _Severus thought hopelessly. But she trusted him with her current feelings, which made him feel even more confused and Severus Tobias Snape did not like feeling confused. In the end, Severus decided that he would just ask Hermione what was wrong again, but he was going to have to be nicer about it.

Hermione had just finished bottling the last of the Veritaserum when she heard Severus' footsteps on the stairs. She pushed her sweaty hair out of her eyes and quickly wiped her face. Severus would be able to see that she'd been crying but she at least wanted the dignity of not doing it in front of him. She smiled meekly when she saw him approach with a tea tray.

"Its done, and it is correct this time." Hermione held up one of the little vials for him to inspect. Severus usually held each vial she presented him aloft to the light so that he could thoroughly evaluate the contents but this time he just took the vial from her and placed it in the shipping box she'd removed it from.

"I trust you, Hermione." He said putting down the tray and pouring her a cup of tea.

Hermione felt her jaw lower with that statement. When it came to a potion Severus didn't trust anyone, not even himself. He inspected his own potions with the same care and attention he did hers. Severus raised one eyebrow in her direction, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up. Realizing that she was staring, Hermione snapped her mouth shut and reached for the tea.

"Nevertheless, you should probably double check it." She said, sitting down on her work stool. "I really am sorry I messed up the earlier batches."

Severus really wished she would let it go but he needed to make her feel better if she was going to talk to him about her bad mood lately. What he really wanted to know was if Narcissa was right about her thinking about the day she was tortured. "You need to stop apologizing. It is over, the new potion is made and we have plenty of time to get ready for dinner with the Lucius and Narcissa. They moved it to eight instead of seven."

Hermione visibly blanched when he mentioned the dinner. _Jackpot, _Severus thought, _she is worried about the dinner. Now I just need to figure out why._

Severus looked away from Hermione ever so slightly so that he wasn't looking straight into her eyes. The desire to perform Legilimency was overwhelming him. "We will be meeting them at Bonus Victus in Diagon Alley. I hope that's alright, they have a dress code."

"Oh! Why yes, that will be alright, I have heard great things about that restaurant." Hermione said visibly cheered. Now all of her concerns about returning to the Malfoy Manor had been a waste of time. Hermione picked up a biscuit of the tea tray and bit into it thoughtfully. It would have been nice if Severus could have told her that a week ago, unless…

Severus didn't even need Legilimency to feel her relief at the change of venue. Her face regained some of its color and she tucked into the little plate of biscuits as if she just realized that she was starving but after her first bite was swallowed she put the plate down and looked at him suspiciously.

"Severus, when did you find out about the change in dinner location?"

"Just a little while ago. I went to visit with Narcissa for a bit and she told me that it was necessary to change the plans just a little." Severus stated flatly. It was at least half-true.

Hermione narrowed her eyes even further, thinking deeply. She wasn't called the brightest witch of her age for nothing. Severus had clearly gone to Narcissa to complain about Hermione's hormonal behavior over the last few days and Narcissa probably mentioned the day she was tortured. Well, Narcissa Malfoy was absolutely right. Hermione was dreading the dinner because she didn't want to revisit the Manor. It was as simple as that. She had never mentioned the day she was tortured to anyone, not even Harry, because it had been to horrible to give words. Severus had been tortured on a regular basis and would probably think she was a weakling for letting just one day affect her so badly. But the truth was that it still gave her nightmares and panic attacks. If Narcissa figured it out then bully for her, maybe they could be friends after all because even though she was married to a prejudiced ass hole she at least had some sensitivity.

"What did she tell you?" Hermione asked calmly.

Severus looked at her carefully trying to read her expression, but she had gone as blank as he knew he was capable of when he didn't want people to know what he was thinking or feeling.

"Hermione, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you just say you weren't ready to go back there?"

"What did she tell you?" Hermione repeated.

Severus scowled. She clearly wasn't going to just start spilling her emotions and thoughts like she normally would. "She didn't tell me anything. She showed me."

"Showed you?" Hermione fought hard to maintain control.

"Yes, Hermione. She showed me her memory of the day you got tortured at the Manor and she pointed out, not too kindly, I might add, that perhaps you either didn't want to return to the Manor or that you didn't want to attend the dinner because of their association with that erm, day. She figured that moving the dinner to a restaurant might help." Severus said patiently, waiting for her to just start talking like usual. The longer she sat there in stony silence the more worried he became.

After a few more minutes he couldn't take the silence anymore, so he spoke again. "Talk to me, Hermione. Is that what was wrong? Because you know you can talk to me about those things. There's no need for histrionics." Damn, Severus bit his tongue after that last sentence. Using the word histrionics to describe Hermione was not going to help the situation.

Hermione stared at Severus for a moment longer. She was absorbed in memories of the day until she heard him say 'histrionics' and then she became angry. If he didn't want her to be emotional, then she wouldn't be.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean that Hermione. I just couldn't help but notice that you don't speak about your past at all and I am afraid that might be because I have not given you very many reasons to trust me. I admit that I did not make your younger years pleasant, and I know the war was very difficult for you. I just want you to know that you can talk to me about it." _Good, honesty and a pleasant tone of voice that should get me somewhere._

Hermione dropped the biscuit that was still in her hand back on the tray. She wiped her hands on her jeans and stood up quickly. "You are right. I didn't want to revisit the Manor. Well, I had best go dig through my clothes for something a little nicer than what I was planning on wearing." Hermione patted Severus on the shoulder as she walked by him. "I do trust you."

She walked up the stairs as calmly as possible to avoid stomping. Severus made her _want_ to talk about what happened but it was so trivial compared to his life that she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It was best to just let it all go. Severus followed Hermione all the way to the bedroom closet but he didn't say anything to her until she was buried deep in clothes.

"Hermione, why won't you talk to me?"

Hermione backed out of the closet with a set of deep blue dress robes slung over one arm and a pair of shoes in her other hand. "What is there to say, Severus? You saw the memory. What is Narcissa going to do? '_Welcome to our home Hermione, oh that's right, you've been here before, this is the dining room, this is the kitchen, oh, and this is the drawing room my sister tried to kill you in_.'" Hermione finished her speech in a mocking tone.

Severus paled slightly at Hermione's words. "I still don't understand why you didn't just tell me in the first place. What were you afraid of?"

"I wasn't afraid of anything! I do trust you; I just don't like talking about that day. And I don't want to talk about with you because what I went through is nothing compared to what you went through and I don't want you to think I am weak!" Hermione cried flinging the clothes on the bed and rounding on Severus. "I'm sorry I was bitchy all week. I realize that it was the wrong thing to do I just didn't know how to deal with the situation. It won't happen again."

Severus relaxed visibly. It wasn't that she didn't trust him; she just thought he wouldn't care, that would be easier to fix. Severus wrapped his arms her. "Hermione, I would never trivialize your part in the war. I can't believe you would think I would do that. I don't think you are weak."

Hermione believed him and she felt stupid all of a sudden. "You never talk about what happened in your past either." She mumbled into his chest as she snaked her arms around him. He smelled so wonderful, like soap and sandalwood. She breathed in deeply.

"You're right, I don't." Severus kissed the top of her head. "You and I have that in common I suppose."

Hermione lifted her face to kiss him deeply. "When the time is right, I suppose we will. You really are a hero though, so you shouldn't feel bad about anything that happened."

Severus smiled warmly and kissed her again. "You are too, you know."

*************************************************************************************

Hermione stood with Severus outside of Bonus Victus with Severus as they waited for Lucius and Narcissa to arrive. Hermione was still slightly nervous because of who the dinner was with but only slightly. She had talked to Draco enough to know that there was nothing to worry about. Also, the Malfoys had done a lot over the years to redeem themselves, not to mention the fact that Harry literally owed Narcissa his life. She would forever be grateful to the Malfoy matriarch for lying to Voldemort.

"Severus, early as usual. I hope you haven't been waiting long." Narcissa said gaily as she and her husband approached the waiting couple.

"Not long at all. May I properly present my fiancé, Hermione?" Severus said formally gently pushing Hermione slightly in front of him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again." Lucius said kissing her hand.

"Yes, definitely. I am so happy for you both." Narcissa said sincerely as she ushered them all into the restaurant. They were immediately seated at their table and sipping a delicious chardonnay before Hermione had a chance to catch her breath, let alone respond.

Hermione sat quietly observing the restaurant around her as Lucius and Severus caught up on each other's business ventures. Narcissa sat quietly also, but she was observing Hermione. Soon, the four of them were all talking together about Hogwarts, their dinner, their work, their dinner, and finally over dessert work came up again. Lucius was rambling on about a group of interns he had in his trade business and about how all but two of them were easily sorted into departments within the company.

"Must have been Hufflepuffs." Hermione snorted under her breath.

Lucius stopped talking and eyed her curiously. Hermione blushed scarlet as she realized that she must have committed some sort of social faux pas.

"How did you know?" Lucius asked genuinely perplexed.

Hermione blushed even deeper. She was afraid to answer because she would just embarrass herself, but she was even more afraid _not_ to answer. Giving in Hermione went for the truth even though she knew it would shock her audience. "Hufflepuff house was designed for the people that didn't fit in anywhere else."

Narcissa and Lucius both looked at each other, shock and laughter dancing in their eyes. Severus stared at her dumbfounded. "Pardon?"

"I just mean that each house has these specific attributes that sets them apart but Hufflepuff is only known for its loyalty. In reality each house, including Hufflepuff, is full of people that are loyal to each other. There is not much inner house loyalty no matter where you're put. Anyway, Slytherins are cunning, Gryffindors are brave, Ravenclaws are smart, Hufflepuffs are leftovers. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Hufflepuffs, it's just well, erm…" Hermione trailed off realizing that she was rambling.

"Well, I had no idea you had it in you to say something against your fellow man." Severus said playfully squeezing her hand.

"I don't have it in for them. It's just the way it is. If I had my way there would be a lot of changes at Hogwarts so that houses were forced to mix more. I believe that each house is stereotyped from the beginning. Each house is relatively evenly matched as far as numbers go so basically a brave Slytherin that is a little more cunning than brave would be put into Slytherin over Gryffindor if Slytherin was one short on even numbers, but Gryffindor if Gryffindor was short. The point is that each house plays up to its stereotype therefore perpetuating it. If you mixed up the houses and forced them to develop relationships with each other the differences would not be so pronounced. I have plenty of ideas that I think would help." Hermione said blushing again.

"You seem to have given this a lot of thought." Lucius said smiling in Severus direction. "Are you sure you're going to be able to keep up with your staff when you are headmaster?"

Narcissa laughed warmly as Severus gave Hermione a look that was really, really close to adoration, or about as close as he would willingly get in public.

"I expect to get railroaded every now and then. I would love to hear your ideas, Hermione." Severus said trying not to laugh. He should have known that Hermione had a hidden agenda up her sleeve. It would be too much to ask for her to go to Hogwarts and just teach. She was probably planning on freeing all the house elves too. He couldn't let that happen, the castle would fall apart without them. It was only a matter of time before she brought it up though.

"Oh, you will, Severus. You will." Hermione's voice was inflected with fake danger and warning.

That got a laugh from around the table. Everyone there knew that Severus was going to take her ideas to heart. Hermione was really happy that the dinner was going so well. She found Narcissa and Lucius charming and interesting and it was really easy for her to imagine getting past her fear of their house. She could tell that Severus was exceptionally pleased with how the meal how was going as well. He kept squeezing her hand under the table and she hadn't seen him smile so much in one evening. Ever. Yes, everything was going to be alright. All they had to do next was get through the wedding.

************************************************************************************

**A/N: Kind of a short chapter, I know. The story is actually winding its way down. At first it was easy to get carried away but now I realize that I can only maintain a fluffy, plotless story for so long. Reviews are dwindling so I am guessing you all agree with me. **

**For those of you who are reading and reviewing thanks a bunch! And thanks to whoopsydaisy for correcting my horrible backwoods grammar.**


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Me no ownie.

Life For Rent

Chapter 19

Hermione was enjoying a rare day off from her potions training to spend the afternoon with Harry and Ginny. Severus had insisted that Hermione spend the day with her friends while he completed a few unfinished projects by himself. Hermione was more than eager to leave him be. As happy as they were with one another, working and living in the same space had become increasingly trying on each other's nerves. Hermione knew several girls who could easily forsake all their prior acquaintances and be at the beck and call of the person they love, but Hermione found that behavior smothering and Severus, without a doubt, felt the same way. But today was different. Hermione had something really exciting and important that she wanted to talk to Ginny about and she really wanted to talk to Ginny before she talked to Severus.

So, it was with a cheerful smile on her face that Hermione opened the door to Grimmauld Place to see a very angry looking Ginny gripping the wall with one hand and clutching her belly with the other. The smile on Hermione's face slowly faded as she noticed the puddle on the floor around Ginny's feet.

"Oh my god! Ginny, are you alright?" Hermione immediately felt stupid for the question. Of course the poor girl was not alright, she was bent over in a spasm of pain standing in a pool of amniotic fluid. Nobody would be alright in that situation. Nevertheless Hermione rushed to Ginny and put a supporting arm around her thick waist and led her to the sitting room.

"I'm okay now, I think. My water broke and I was just standing there looking at it with wonder and then I felt this ripping pain across my lower back and abdomen." Ginny was animated even in her descriptions of her labor, making Hermione smile. "I never thought a contraction would feel like that. Mum says that they get worse too!"

"Ginny, where is Harry? I thought he wasn't leaving your side now that you are due so soon." Hermione said rubbing Ginny's back carefully. She knew very little about childbirth but she did know that her next contraction could come in the next two minutes or the next thirty and she was positive Ginny would want her husband to see her through it.

"He took a break from me to go play Quidditch with my brothers." Ginny said despairingly. "Ron is visiting and Harry and I got in a huge argument. He said that I was being intolerable and he needed a break. He should be back within the hour, I hope. I am not being intolerable! He is intolerable expecting me to be happy that he did _this _to me!"

Ginny was gesturing frantically at her stomach. "I'm hideous! I am huge and uncomfortable and it's all Harry's fault!"

Hermione suppressed a giggle as she listened to Ginny verbally castrate her husband under her breath.

"Okay, Gin. I am going to go clean that mess up out there, then I'm going to go upstairs and get you some clean clothes. After that, I will send a Patronus to your inconsiderate husband to meet us as at St. Mungos. Okay?" Hermione said calmly trying to soothe Ginny's nerves.

Ginny turned her furious glare on Hermione. "Don't patronize me, Hermione. I am not a child."

"Hey, don't blame me! I didn't get you in this situation." Hermione said good naturedly as she exited the sitting room, "are you going to be okay alone for a few minutes?"

Hermione's only answer was a dark glare. As soon as Hermione was out of the room and away from Ginny she collapsed against the wall and took a deep shuddering breath. She had no idea what to do. How did one deal with a laboring chimaera? Ginny was obviously in no mood to be pleasant and Harry was going to get a piece of her mind for leaving his wife to go play Quidditch like that. Hermione was close to panic by the time she had cleaned up the mess and returned with fresh clothes.

"Here's some clean clothes. Do you need my help?" Hermione asked worriedly. Ginny looked pale and nodded slowly.

"I had another one and it was worse. Oh, Hermione, this hurts so much!" Ginny said as Hermione helped her out of the cream colored armchair.

Hermione gasped in shock when she saw the bloody stain that was spreading on the seat. Hermione had no idea if it was normal to bleed when one's water broke but she didn't want Ginny to see it. Turning so that her body was blocking the chair Hermione helped Ginny into some fresh clothes, all manner of modesty and privacy went out the window as Hermione rushed to get Ginny cleaned up. Hermione was not able to hide the blood from Ginny when she took off her pants.

"Oh no!" Ginny exclaimed at the sight of the blood and then she doubled over as a new contraction twisted through her. Ginny made a strange mewling sound that made the hair stand on the back of Hermione's neck. _Maybe I don't want kids after all but I think it is too late for that, _Hermione couldn't help but think. How was she supposed to handle her own experience with labor if she couldn't handle Ginny's? Ginny squeezed Hermione's hand until she felt a bone snap but fear and worry for her friend made the pain barely noticeable. Nothing that Ginny could do to Hermione would be worse than what the poor girl was going through herself.

Hermione had managed to get Ginny to the fireplace when Harry's answering Patronus filled the room.

"On my way." The stag said in Harry's voice.

"See Ginny, Harry will meet us there. Everything is going to be fine."

"Easy for you to say! You don't have to squeeze two bigheaded Potters out of your vagina right now!" Ginny snapped.

Hermione threw some floo powder into the fireplace and stepped inside with Ginny and her hospital bag in tow. It was a tight fit but Hermione wasn't willing to send Ginny through by herself. Hermione was alarmed at Ginny's nasty tone. She was normally so full of good humour that it was very disturbing for Hermione to deal with the side of her. She had a sharp tongue and an acerbic wit on occasion but this was different. Hermione had never dealt with her in labor though, so maybe that explained it all. If that was the way she was treating Harry over the last few days it was not wonder he took a Quidditch break.

Upon arrival at the hospital's maternity ward they were encapsulated in a sea of redheaded Weasleys and one black haired Potter. Harry and Molly both embraced Ginny who was now crying and clinging to her mother as another contraction overtook her. Hermione broke through the crowd to get the healer's attention who so far was allowing Weasley clan to hover around Ginny.

"You need to get her in a room! She's in labor!" Hermione practically shrieked at the complacent witch who was flipping through a copy of Witch Weekly. Hermione noted that her name tag ironically said 'Ginger.'

"Oh, don't worry I am sure a couple more minutes will be okay. Labor takes time and she will only be allowed two people in the room so let them see her while they can."

Hermione pounded her fist on the counter. "You don't understand, she's bleeding. That's not normal is it?"

That statement got the Mediwitch's attention in a way the crowd of ginger headed people hadn't. She threw down the magazine and broke through the large family to assist Ginny into the nearest empty room calling for help along the way.

Ginny called for Hermione to join them in her room and Hermione went to stand by her head as a couple of Mediwitches examined Ginny. Harry was on Ginny's other side with Molly.

"Oh, Ginny. I am so sorry I left to play Quidditch. I shouldn't have gone and I know it." Harry said stroking Ginny's face looking stricken.

"I'm glad you're hear now, Harry." Ginny said being uncharacteristically nice before turning to Hermione. "I'm really glad you were there too, Hermione."

Hermione looked up at Molly with confusion. Ginny was being really calm and her eyes were slightly glazed.

"They gave her a pain reliever and a mild sedative." Molly answered Hermione's unasked question. Hermione just nodded her understanding and looked at Ginny worriedly offering her hand again. Hermione had forgotten about the broken bone in her hand until Ginny gripped it again as another contraction tightened her stomach. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from shouting in pain herself. The warm coppery blood in her mouth made her stomach turn, something that had been happening a lot lately.

"I'm afraid that we are going to have to deliver the babies right now." The head healer stated over the noise of the people in the room. "The baby on the bottom is turned sideways and won't be able to come the normal way."

Ginny was crying and Harry had a blank expression on her face. Molly had a hand over her mouth.

"What are you going to do?" She cried.

Hermione answered before the healer could. "A Cesarean right?"

The healer nodded at Hermione. "I believe that is what the Muggles call it but I believe the magical method is safer and cleaner."

Hermione nodded in agreement. Of course magic would heal a woman faster than Muggle stitches would. Hermione was shepherded out of the hospital room as the Healer explained the procedure to Ginny, Harry, and Molly.

"Hermione! What's going on in there?" Ron asked in a way of greeting. Hermione was glad to see him, it had been a long time and it was comforting having her friend there. For some reason Ginny being in labor and having complications at that was affecting her much more deeply than she had anticipated. Hermione took a few moments to explain to the clan what was going on and then left them to clear her head.

Hermione went to the small tearoom at the end of the hallway and sat down with a cup of Earl Grey but she couldn't bring herself to drink it. She had wanted to tell Ginny that afternoon that she thought she might be pregnant but after what she just witnessed she wasn't sure if that was good news anymore. The whole thing was terrible. Ginny's pain, the blood, Harry not being there, and now the babies were being cut out of her friend's body. She didn't think she could go through something like that without Severus there every step of the way. Hermione decided that maybe it would be best if she found out for sure if she was pregnant that way at least she wouldn't be wondering and she could truly be there for her friend after the babies were born. Hermione left St. Mungos and walked to the nearest corner store to get a Muggle test, all the while praying to whatever deities were listening that Ginny be okay and the babies too.

Twenty minutes later Hermione sat on the toilet of a public restroom staring at the little stick in her hand. Her relief at finally knowing the truth did nothing to alleviate the confusion she was feeling. The wedding was only a month away so a pregnancy would not have been a big deal in that aspect, but for the first time since she had personally come face to face with Voldemort Hermione felt the tendrils of icy fear piercing through her veins. A sharp throb of pain shot from her hand up her arm and Hermione was grateful for the sensation. It broke through the coldness of the fear she was feeling and helped her regain her senses. She had always _wanted _children but now she was beginning to wonder why she didn't think about adopting.

Hermione was startled out of her reverie by a banging on the bathroom door. She quickly through the stick in the trash and washed her hands quickly before rushing out the door and heading back to St. Mungos. When she arrived back at the hospital the atmosphere in the maternity ward's waiting room was one of cheerful celebration, a stark contrast to how she left it.

"Hermione! There you are, Ginny wants to see you." Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and dragged her back into the room. Ginny was sitting up in bed with a baby in the crook of each arm.

"Hey Ginny, how are you feeling?" Hermione asked hesitantly her eyes scanning the room quickly. There was no sign that just a couple of short hours ago the lives of mother and babies was on the line. There were already flowers, balloons and stuffed animals decorating the place.

"I feel great, Hermione! I am sorry if I was a little mean earlier. I don't much fancy being in pain." Ginny passed one of the babies off to Harry who walked around the bed to show Hermione.

"This is James Arthur." Harry said not taking his eyes off the baby. The child had a shock of black hair on the top of his head and his little face was red and scrunched up. Hermione couldn't help but think that he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever laid eyes on.

"And this," Ginny said holding up the other bundle, "is Lily Molly. Do you want to hold her?"

Hermione reached out wordlessly for the baby and carefully lifted her into her arms. She had a fine dusting of red hair and Hermione chuckled at that. Lily stretched and opened her mouth in a wide yawn and Hermione felt the urge to coo but she resisted. The little baby opened her eyes and looked blearily up at Hermione. Her eyes were dark and it was impossible to tell what color they would turn out to be. Hermione felt tears prickling at the corner of her own eyes as she stared back at the baby.

"Tell me honestly Ginny, how do you feel right now? I mean after all that pain and everything…" Hermione asked not really sure how to voice the question she was really asking.

Ginny smiled in understanding as Hermione handed her daughter back to her. "You mean, was it worth it, right?"

Hermione felt horrible for feeling the need to ask but she nodded her head slightly in a yes.

"I would do it again and again if I could feel this joy. I have already forgotten the pain and fear of it Hermione. Maybe women are hardwired to forget because if they didn't they wouldn't be willing to have more children." Ginny switched babies with Harry and Hermione felt a tear slide down her cheek as she watched Harry press little kisses on his daughter's face. What would Severus be like with their child?

"Hermione? Are you okay? Hey, what's wrong with your hand?" Ginny reached out and grabbed Hermione's arm. "Did I do that to you? I snapped a bone in Harry's hand too! No less than he deserved leaving me to play to Quidditch today."

Hermione was cheered by Ginny's return to her normally cheerful speech and even managed a small chuckle as Harry had the grace to look slightly ashamed but the tears continued to fall down her face. "I don't think you realize your own strength, Ginny. But it's fine. I will get it taken care of in a minute."

Ginny looked at Hermione carefully. There was something off about her friend and if she didn't know any better she would say that she was pregnant too. She was overly emotional and despite the tears falling down her face her skin was glowing. She _had_ mentioned that she had something big that she wanted to talk to her about. Ginny glanced down at Hermione's stomach automatically and Hermione caught it and gave Ginny a meaningful look willing her to understand.

Ginny reached out for Hermione's unbroken hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I don't think you realize how strong you are either, Hermione."

Hermione recognized the underlying message in Ginny's words. Harry was watching with interest trying to figure out what was going on between the two women. His eyes widened when Hermione placed her palm flat against her stomach and took a shuddering breath before speaking.

"But weren't you scared?" She asked both of them.

Harry placed his daughter back in Ginny's arms and walked around to give his best friend a hug. "Of course we were scared. Don't you remember the panic I was in when I found out it was twins?"

Ginny grinned with a wicked gleam in her eye. "Yeah, but you didn't have to tell Severus Snape that you were pregnant with his child."

Harry shuddered visibly. "Yeah, Ginny's right Hermione. You probably should be scared."

"Oh my god! I have to tell him! Should I tell him now?" Hermione knew her friends were just teasing her but she was too absorbed with the prospect of actually giving birth to consider when she was going to tell Severus. They hadn't even discussed when they were going to consider having children.

"We were just kidding, Hermione. I am sure he will be perfectly receptive to your news. If not, send him to me." Ginny said cheerfully. "Now go get your hand fixed, and then go home to your fiancé. It is getting late and you two have a lot to talk about."

Hermione gave her friends more hugs, kissed each of the babies and flooed about a block away from her house. As she approached she saw that one light was on downstairs and she could see the tell tale flickering in an upstairs window signaling that the television was on. Sure enough when she went in she could see that Severus had left a lamp on for her in the living room. Turning it off, she walked quietly up the stairs clutching her now throbbing hand.

"You're home late." Severus said to Hermione as she entered the room and kicked off her shoes.

Hermione leaned across the bed to give Severus a kiss. "It was a long and interesting day."

Hermione held up her bruised and swollen hand. "Do you mind fixing this?"

Severus immediately jumped out of bed and turned off the television. Grabbing his wand he said the healing charms to mend her hand. Hermione flexed her fingers gratefully.

"How on earth did you break your hand?" Severus asked angrily. "And what do you mean your day was interesting?"

"Calm down. Ginny went into labor today and she squeezed my hand so hard she snapped a bone. She did it to Harry too." Hermione said willing Severus to relax so that he might be more receptive the rest of the news she had.

Severus wrapped his arms around Hermione and pulled her in for a hug. "At least Potter got what was coming to him. So, they had their babies today, huh? I don't envy them for a moment right now."

Hermione broke away from Severus and crossed her arms, fixing Severus with a fierce glare. "What do you mean, you don't envy them?"

Severus rolled his eyes and settled back on the bed. "I am sure they are lovely little babies that will grow into little terrors just like their parents. I just mean, I don't envy their sleepless nights, the crying, and all the dirty nappies."

"You sound like you don't want children at all." Hermione said unable to keep the hurt out of her voice.

Severus knew he was making the classic male mistake of sounding unsympathetic to babies but Hermione just didn't understand what he meant. "I didn't say that."

"What _are_ you saying then?"

Severus sighed in resignation. "I don't know Hermione. I didn't mean I don't want children. I am happy for them, okay? I really am."

"I'm going to go make some tea." Hermione said curtly and she walked out of the room. She wasn't really expecting Severus to jump for joy when he heard Harry had his babies and normally his response probably would not have bothered her very much, but it did. She really wanted to tell him that he was about to be a father but she wanted him to be receptive to the news. She wished she could just wait until the baby was born and then surprise him with it. _Yeah, that would go over well. _

Hermione fixed herself a sandwich and some tea and stared at the wall in front of her eating mechanically. She wasn't even hungry but she'd missed the last two meals and she knew that it wasn't good for the baby or herself. She figured she should probably just tell Severus the news and get it over with. If he wasn't ready for a baby, then that was his problem but she would be ready for it. The part of her that was moving beyond the initial fear she had felt whilst watching Ginny was beginning to feel incredibly happy and she wanted to share that joy with her soon-to-be husband.

Severus pulled on his dressing gown and waited for a full ten minutes before going downstairs to talk to Hermione. He wasn't willing to argue with her but he wasn't willing to pretend he had the warm fuzzies over Harry's babies either. Of course he knew they would have a child of their own someday but that didn't mean he was excited about the prospect of the screaming and the snot that usually accompanied infants. Besides they hadn't even discussed when they would have a child. He was sure that once they made the decision to actually have the baby he would be more receptive. The thought of being a father terrified him and excited him at the same time; he would just have to reassure Hermione of the latter. Hermione was halfway through a sandwich by the time he made it downstairs but she didn't look up at him when he came in.

"Hermione, don't be angry." He said with ill-disguised annoyance.

She started at the sound of his voice and looked up at him. "I'm not angry at all. I was just hungry. I missed lunch and dinner today so I came down to eat."

Severus looked at her closely. She really didn't look angry, she actually looked kind of happy. Hermione was getting emotional again lately and she hadn't been like that for months. Not since they had almost gone to the Malfoy Manor before she was ready. "Good. I don't want you to think that I don't want a child. I knew when we agreed to the marriage contract that we would be having a child."

"I know. But I am a little worried that since we aren't subject to the law anymore and since we will be at Hogwarts you might have changed your mind."

Severus had to be honest himself; he had abandoned the idea of having children when they both agreed to the posts at Hogwarts. He figured that if they put the topic off long enough Hermione might change her mind about wanting children as well. After all, Hogwarts was full of them. He was perfectly aware that she would probably want a child of her own despite it all and he was prepared to do that with her but it was a distant possibility.

"I haven't changed my mind." Severus said helping himself to a cup of tea and leaning against the counter to sip it.

"Good." Hermione said. "Because I am pregnant."

The only sound in the room was the tinkle of broken glass as Severus dropped his teacup.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: So I just want to say thanks to all of the people who insisted that I don't end this story soon. I really appreciate your support and your reviews. I will definitely write a little more than I had planned just for you!!! So, thanks for your reviews, opinions, and etc. And of course thanks to all of you who read but don't review, I love you all too. And another thanks to those who have added my story to alerts, favorites, etc. That makes me feel really good!**

**Whoopsydaisy, I almost forgot to thank my beta whoopsydaisy, NOT! I could never forget her! Also you all need to read her Snape story Uncharmable!**


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter.

Life For Rent

Chapter 20

Hermione waited for Severus to speak for a full minute before cleaning her plate and fixing his cup with her wand. She felt strangely calm and Severus' lack of a reaction and lingering silence were not bothering her at all. Telling him had lifted a huge weight from her shoulder that she didn't even realize was there until she'd said the words 'I'm pregnant.' Now that he knew she could start thinking about the baby and the longer she sat at the table and thought about it the happier she became. She knew Severus well enough to not read anything too negative in his lack of response. Severus really didn't like surprises and that one was about as big as they got.

Severus continued to remain silent and staring as Hermione put the dishes in the cabinet. His eyes were trained on the table but they were expressionless. Hermione could see the muscles in his face working as he registered the news but he didn't look angry. Out of all the things that could go wrong with him being angry about it would have been the worst thing. Not being ready, apprehension, fear, all those things could be fixed with time but anger would send her packing. Hermione waved a hand in front of his eyes, finally getting his attention.

"Well, that certainly is a surprise." Severus said as if he hadn't just spent the last two minutes in a stupor.

Hermione sighed with relief. He didn't sound angry at all. "It's a good surprise though, right? I mean we weren't planning on a child so soon but…"

"How did this happen? I was so careful with spell." Severus said more to himself than to Hermione.

"Who cares how it happened. Those spells are sometimes faulty when cast in the heat of the moment. I was shocked too, and I realize it is sudden but it is a child, Severus. I am going to love it with all my heart no matter what and I will do so with or without your support." Hermione said slightly testily. If they were planning for a child she would have told him, and they would have rushed into each other's arms, joyful. As it was they weren't planning it just like they weren't the Marriage Contract to bring them together but it had all worked out despite the unromantic beginnings. She had faith and she would be damned it Severus Snape was going to take away her happiness.

"I never said I wasn't going to support you!" Severus said loudly. "I am just surprised. It's going to be difficult with starting Hogwarts. I never really considered what it would be like living in the castle and raising children at the same time."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "I never thought about it either."

Severus walked toward Hermione and wrapped her in a hug. That was the last thing he was expecting to hear from her. The words tumbled around inside his otherwise empty brain for what felt like an eternity. He was terrified at the thought of being a father. After all, his father was not exactly the best example of how to be a good one. It was Hermione saying that she was going to love the child no matter what he thought that finally made his head clear so that he could actually think. He remembered telling Harry that he often wondered what Hermione would look like pregnant and what kind of mother she would be. The timing might have been a little imperfect but he knew if there was anyone on this earth that would make sure he didn't repeat his father's mistakes it was the witch in his arms.

"It's going to be great, Hermione. We will make it work." Severus said kissing the top of her head.

Hermione sighed with relief and Severus felt her slump against him a little before standing tall and taking a step back.

"I know. I was just a little afraid of how you were going to react. I was fully expecting to have to give you a few days to register the news." Hermione said before yawning hugely.

Severus wrapped his hand around hers to lead her up to bed. Now that he knew she was pregnant he was going to have to watch her more carefully to make sure she ate and slept enough. "I don't think it's really sunk in yet. The only thing I know for sure is that you will make a wonderful mother so you have nothing to fear."

"You will be a good father, Severus." Hermione said sternly.

Severus shrugged his shoulders slightly unwilling to say anything either way. They settled into bed rather silently both lost in their own thoughts. Hermione was exhausted but she was beginning to feel giddy with excitement at the same time. Severus' practical mind was making a list of all the potions and things that Hermione might need and what potions she would avoid making toward the end of her pregnancy. He also began to consider what adjustments they would have to make to the house and what kinds of arrangements would have to be made for them at Hogwarts. A trip to visit Minerva was definitely in order. Depending on how far along she was they would have plenty of time to prepare themselves, he hoped.

"Hermione, how far along would you guess you are?"

Hermione chewed on her lip thoughtfully. She had missed two periods in a row but had ignored the first one because she had skipped periods before on occasion. The Muggle birth control pills she took when she was with David caused that sometimes so it didn't really bother her. When she missed her second one in a row it had caused more alarm because she had swollen tender breasts and nausea.

"Um, I think I could be anywhere from six to ten weeks." Hermione said thoughtfully rubbing her stomach wondering if it was any indicator. She had no idea when she would start to show.

"Six to ten weeks?" Severus voice cracked and he cleared it deeply. "Don't you keep track of your monthlies?"

Hermione was too tired to get in that argument with him. "I understand that my estimation is less than adequate for your tastes but I will just have to visit with a doctor and have an ultrasound to be sure. I will also visit with a Healer tomorrow."

"Muggle doctor?"

"Of course, Severus. My mother will want me to. Speaking of which I am going to tell my parents tomorrow, you don't have to come if you don't want to." Hermione yawned again and Severus pulled her close to his chest. "I don't know how they are going to take it."

Severus really didn't want to go with her because avoiding parents was very high on his list of priorities but he wouldn't make her do something like that alone. This child was his and even if they weren't getting married already he would do the honorable thing. "Don't be ridiculous, Hermione. I am going to go with you."

"Good." Hermione snuggled close to Severus and finally fell asleep. He, on the other hand, was awake most of the night unable to calm his mind.

*************************************************************************************

Narcissa smiled pleasantly at Hermione as she let her in the front door. Severus had invited her over for tea to tell her about the baby and also just to visit. Two weeks had gone by since they had told Hermione's parents and it had actually gone well. Her father mentioned that nothing could surprise him anymore and had made peace with it rather gracefully. Hermione's mother gushed over her daughter and completely ignored Severus as if Hermione had conceived all by her lonesome. Severus shed his last sliver of dignity when Hermione's father asked if he was marrying his daughter because she was up the duff. He practically had to prostrate at the man's feet to convince him that Hermione was indeed the love of his life. So, aside from that humiliating little bit, the encounter went rather well.

Their wedding was in two weeks and Narcissa had insisted that Hermione use one of her clothiers to have her wedding robes done. She was going to be twelve weeks along exactly on their wedding day and her normally flat stomach was beginning to show the hint of a curve so she was praying the dress wouldn't have to be altered.

"I love what you have done with the place Severus, or should I say, Hermione? And you look radiant by the way." Narcissa commented eyeing her surroundings and Hermione appreciatively. Narcissa was as fastidious as they came but she thought that Severus' house was charming with all the changes. "It certainly is an improvement over the stark white walls and books."

Severus and Hermione both laughed. "You're right, Cissy. It is all Hermione's doing as she picked most of the colors and decorations."

Hermione linked her arm in her fiancé's and smiled at him warmly. "But Severus did all the work and of course I never objected to the books."

"Oh, you two are just adorable together. I never thought I would live to see my dear friend so well matched." Narcissa said as she settled herself into Severus' favorite chair. Even in his old armchair she maintained a queenly posture. Hermione found herself staring at the elegant woman wondering if she was ever a love interest of Severus'. She was so beautiful and poised. Hermione felt like a frumpy, klutzy librarian next to her.

"What kind of bonding are you going to do at your wedding ceremony?"

Severus settled down with Hermione on the sofa and wrapped an arm around her. "We were just going to do a traditional bonding ceremony with rings and vows. We aren't going to have fidelity charms or anything."

Narcissa twisted her wedding ring around her finger a slight frown on her face. "Yes, I don't blame you. Some of the more magical rituals can be quite cumbersome."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Severus squeezed her shoulder and shook his head slightly. Hermione returned a look that clearly said, _'Fine, but you will have to explain later.' _Hermione wondered what kind of ceremony Narcissa had and imagined that Purebloods probably had some ancient traditions that were akin to enslaving the woman to the man. Severus never even considered doing anything more than exchanging rings and professing their love. That much was going to be hard enough for him to do publicly.

"Anyway Hermione," Narcissa said recovering your gown is done and will be delivered later today along with Mrs. Potter's Matron of Honor dress. I must say your taste is very elegant. I got to see the creation myself just this morning."

Hermione nearly squealed but she didn't want to appear immature to either her fiancé or his friend. "I really can't wait to see it. Ginny has spent the last two weeks using a combination of magic and exercise to shrink her stomach after having the babies. She's afraid she still looks fat."

Narcissa laughed. "I remember those days well. If you ever have children Hermione, I can show you the best spells to hide the bump for quite some time."

Hermione looked at Severus encouraging him to tell her that she was already pregnant. "Actually, Narcissa that is why I invited you over today, to tell you that Hermione is ten weeks along. She is due in April."

"So I might need a bump hiding spell for the wedding." Hermione patted her stomach. She used to tease Ginny for rubbing her belly all the time while she was pregnant and now Ginny was teasing her for doing the same thing.

Narcissa clapped her hands together sharply twice and leapt out of her seat. Severus, ever the gentleman, rose as well so that Narcissa could give him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. She then bent over and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek as well. Hermione felt herself blushing at the attention. "Didn't I say you looked radiant? I should have known why you were glowing. This is such exciting news! Hermione, Severus is wonderful with children. He was so great with Draco when he was a baby."

That was news to Hermione so she quirked an eyebrow at Severus.

"I am the boys Godfather, Hermione. I had to be around him at some point or another." Severus mumbled.

"Oh, stop it. You doted on him whenever you got the chance and you know it." Narcissa was walking around the room waving her hands in the air. "You'll have to let me throw you a baby shower. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Actually, we aren't going to find out until the baby is born." Hermione answered. She could only imagine what kind of extravagant baby shower Narcissa would throw.

Narcissa stopped her pacing and faced Hermione directly. "Whatever do you mean? It's a simple spell."

Hermione looked to Severus for help. "We are aware of that; we both agreed that we want the child's sex to be a surprise."

Narcissa looked slightly put out by the news but she shrugged it off quickly. "No matter, no matter, you can always charm clothes to the colors you like."

"I would like to just get through the wedding party before I start thinking about baby showers and nursery colors." Hermione admitted.

"Oh yes, of course, one step at a time. Have you both written your vows yet?"

*************************************************************************************

"Oh my goodness Hermione, you look stunning!"

Hermione was modeling her wedding gown for Ginny at Grimmauld Place while Severus and Harry sat in the library drinking whiskey and talked Quidditch. The babies were both asleep in bassinettes by Harry and Ginny's bed.

"I really do feel like a princess in this thing. I am going to have to have it altered in the chest area though." Hermione examined herself in the full length mirror. The dress was satin halter A line gown with a chapel train. Hermione didn't want a train at first but when she saw how it looked on her she really liked it. She wasn't going to use veils of any sort so the train on her dress would be her only embellishment. It was simple, yet elegant and Hermione loved it.

"I felt like a princess on my wedding day. I love this color on me." Ginny was modeling her dress in the mirror behind Hermione. Since Ginny was the only member in her wedding party it was quite easy to pick out a dress that would go with her red hair. Of course she chose an emerald green and it did look lovely.

"Ginny, do you think we should write our own vows?" Hermione asked biting her lip nervously. Ever since Narcissa had brought it up Hermione couldn't stop thinking about it. Severus had said that it wasn't really necessary to shut Narcissa up but Hermione wasn't sure. She thought the idea was lovely but she knew that she was asking a lot of Severus just by having the ceremony in the first place.

Ginny cocked her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror for a few more moments. "Harry and I wrote ours."

"I know but this is Severus we are talking about. He isn't exactly loquacious when it comes to expressing love and feelings and I think he might think it would be like admitting secrets not only to me but to everyone present. I just don't know if I should drop it and just say the traditional vows." Hermione said frowning slightly.

"That's a tough call Hermione," Ginny said shrugging off her dress so that she could pick up one of the babies who were starting to gristle.

*************************************************************************************

Severus looked at his watch for what felt like the millionth time in an hour. Hermione and Ginny were taking forever with the dresses and Harry and Severus had already talked through all the current weeks Quidditch predictions. Severus had selected a book from the library shelves and was flipping through it when Harry broke the silence.

"Are you nervous about the wedding?" Harry asked.

Severus rolled his eyes heavenward as if praying for patience. "Are you going to give me a pep talk?"

"No. I wouldn't encourage someone who wasn't quite sure to marry Hermione."

"No, Potter. I am not nervous. Did I pass your little test?" Severus asked sarcastically.

This time Harry rolled his eyes. "You don't have to be so sarcastic. I was just asking."

"Just because I allowed you to wear me down long enough to confess my feelings for Hermione once does not mean I will let it happen again."

"Oh fine. I give up." Harry made a big show of stretching out his newspaper and snapping it.

Severus looked at his watch one more time. "Potter."

"Hmm?" Harry said without looking away from his paper. Severus sighed in exasperation.

"I could use your advice on something."

Harry was definitely intrigued. This time he lowered his paper carefully and raised an eyebrow at Severus. "Yes?"

"Yes, Potter. I am asking you for advice regarding Hermione and only Hermione since you know her so well. Did you have any difficulties writing your wedding vows?" Severus asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean was it easy for you to decide what you wanted to say?" Severus snapped.

Harry laughed loudly, Severus was asking _him_ for help? Oh, how the tables have turned. "I can't believe the illustrious potions master is asking me for advice on his wedding vows. Do you feel uncomfortable right now, Professor?"

"Decidedly so. I am sorry I brought it up. Go ahead and gloat Potter. Just remember I will be headmaster when those babies of yours attend Hogwarts."

Harry scowled. "You wouldn't dare. But I still don't understand what your problem is. With Hermione there is only thing you can tell her that she will want to hear, especially from you on her wedding day."

"And what, I am afraid to ask, is that?" Severus asked quickly losing his patience.

"I can't believe you don't know. I always believed that you were one of the most intelligent people I ever met; now I'm not so sure." Harry stated. He was just teasing Severus though. He understood his old teacher's concern about writing your own vows. He had been very nervous and actually had to read them from a piece of paper to make sure he didn't mess them up on the actual day.

"Fine Potter. I think I have humiliated myself in front of you long enough. I truly regret bringing it up at all." Severus looked at his watch one more time and then picked up the book again.

"Severus, I apologize. I admit I enjoy the feeling that I know something you don't know. But the answer really is quite simple. Just tell her the truth."

"The truth?" Severus spat, _well duh, Potter. _"I wasn't planning on lying to her, you dolt."

"Welcome back to first year." Harry said sarcastically. "I just mean that you can tell her you love her and can't live without her or you can tell her you like the shape of her right foot over her left and she will be happy because you will be telling her the truth about how you feel."

Severus knitted his brows together in thought. Harry was being a right pain in the arse but he was right. Severus _knew _that Hermione would want the truth but what Severus was trying to ask Harry was would she want something basically cliché or something else altogether. Based on Harry's response it would have to be something else altogether.

Severus scowled at Harry. "You are no help at all."

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: So there you go, next chapter. For any of you who might be confused about what time of the year it is… They are having an early October wedding, the baby is due in April and they are starting Hogwarts the following September, I don't know if anyone remembers but McGonagall offered him the position during the last school year so that there would be a full year and then some for Hermione's apprenticeship. **

**Whoopsydaisy rules, a couple of you told me you went to her story so thanks for that too! Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming. I don't live for reviews but I do love them!**


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I tried to buy the rights to Harry Potter on Ebay but somebody outbid me.

Life For Rent

Chapter 21

Hermione watched Ginny as she nursed first her daughter then her son, the wedding and Matron of Honor dresses both abandoned. Hermione found the prospect of being a mother much more interesting at the moment than her upcoming nuptials and they chatted happily about what it was like to breastfeed and compared notes on Hermione's first trimester versus Ginny's. Hermione had slight nausea and little in the way of cravings while Ginny had copious amounts of both. Hermione did admit to feeling unusually tired and Hermione assured her that was normal. Soon the talk turned from babies back to the wedding.

"Ginny, is there a bonding ceremony that includes a fidelity charm?" Hermione asked thinking about Narcissa.

Ginny at Hermione for a moment and then in true Ginny fashion she launched into a tirade of questions. "Why? Are you worried about Severus cheating on you? Oh my god! You're seeing David again aren't you? Is there a chance that David's baby?"

"No!" Hermione cried grimacing back at Ginny. "I was just wondering because we saw Narcissa and she had this weird, mournful look on her face when she was asking Severus and me about our vows. She was twisting her ring and said something about how it was a good thing we weren't doing a fidelity charm and that some bonding charms are rather cumbersome. I can't believe you would accuse me of cheating on Severus!"

"Sorry, I just had to be sure. You didn't say anything about Severus cheating on you though. Are you worried about that?"

"No Ginny, back to the bonding ceremony please." No conversation with Ginny could just stay on track.

Ginny laid a sleeping James back in his bassinette and stood up to stretch. "Well, there is a really antiquated Pureblood tradition that puts a fidelity charm on the wedding rings. It's designed to alert the wearer of their spouse's infidelity. I haven't heard of anyone actually using it for ages. There is a lot of speculation as to what it actually does if someone cheats. I have heard stories ranging from the ring burning to fingers falling off. I wouldn't be surprised if the Malfoy's still practice that kind of nonsensical tradition."

Hermione was about to respond with her agreement when the doorbell rang. Ginny ran to the window and looked down.

"Hey! I thought you said you weren't seeing David anymore!" she cried.

Hermione leapt to her feet and ran to the window. David was standing at the door with a bundle of flowers. To Hermione's horror she saw him enter the house. Praying that it was Kreacher who let him in and not Harry with Severus nearby, Hermione ran down the stairs. Ginny hastily charmed the bassinettes so she could carry them both and followed right behind.

*************************************************************************************

Harry and Severus had moved from the library to the downstairs sitting room. Severus was interested in getting as close to the front door as possible so that when Hermione was finally ready they could make a hasty exit. Harry was still gloating about Severus asking him for advice and it was getting really annoying. Not that Potter wasn't already annoying enough just existing he was taking it to a new level. He actually had the audacity to mark on his calendar in bold letters that Severus asked for advice. Severus responded to that by promptly burning a hole through Harry's calendar.

Severus was just about to send Harry upstairs to find out what their women were doing when the doorbell rang. _Oh sweet mother of Morgana, let it be urgent so we can leave! _Severus thought desperately. Harry seemed to sense Severus' growing frustration because he jumped up and rushed off to the door.

Harry looked through the peephole and gasped before he opened the door. "David! What are you doing here?"

Severus' interest was instantly piqued. David? _The _David? The David that could have had Hermione? Against his better judgment Severus found himself rising from his chair and slowly walking toward the door. He immediately backed up and stepped out of sight though as Hermione came rushing down the stairs. _What is she rushing for? Was she expecting him?_ Severus felt his insecurity and his temper rising as he saw Hermione rush to the door.

"I came to see Hermione." David said to Harry but watching Hermione as she slowed at the bottom of the stairs and approached the door slowly.

Ginny finally reached the bottom of the stairs completely filling up the already crowded foyer.

"Harry, help me with the babies please." Ginny said motioning for Harry to take one of them and leading him into the parlor where a very agitated Severus was pacing to and fro.

"Severus, you might want to go lay claim on your lady. David's brought her some lovely flowers."Ginny said sweetly forcing back a laugh as she watched the color rise inch by inch in his face. If there was any doubt that Severus cared for Hermione it was immediately erased at his reaction to her being in the same room as her ex.

Severus looked at Ginny scathingly his jaw working as if he was about to say something. He opened his mouth to speak and then snapped it shut with an audible click of his teeth. Instead he gave Ginny a sneer that was reminiscent of his teaching days and stalked back toward the hallway.

Hermione stood before David with a look of surprise on her face. Seeing him after all those months shocked her more than it did anything else. The tingles and the butterflies were gone and she gratefully realized that she didn't miss him at all.

"Here, these are for you." David said thrusting the flowers at her.

Hermione took them slowly but did not bring them to her nose which would have been normal response to receiving flowers. "David, what are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?"

"Lucky guess. If you weren't here I was just going to leave a message. I didn't know you had moved." David was rocking back and forth on his heels nervously.

"Yeah, I moved a few months ago." Hermione responded beginning to shuffle her own feet uncomfortably.

"Look Hermione, I know it's been months but I still miss you. I tried dating again but no one could compare to you. I am really sorry about everything. I just couldn't let you go through with your arranged marriage without trying one more time. Please Hermione, we were together for three years, surely we could just pick up where we left off?" David pleaded.

Hermione was beginning to feel terrible. She didn't want to be with David again but she also knew how badly it hurt to be rejected by someone you love. Severus also knew how that felt and was intensely curious as to how Hermione was going to respond. He was surreptitiously peeking around the doorjamb. He could see most of David's face over Hermione's head. He was quite tall, and Severus was disappointed to see, quite handsome as well. It was a wonder what Hermione saw in Severus after being with someone as young and good looking as David.

"It's not that simple, Dave." Severus said heard Hermione say. _What do you mean it's not that simple? It's as simple as you are getting married to me in two short weeks, not to mention you are carrying my baby!_ Severus thought viciously. He bit back an agitated snort as he saw an extendable ear sneak by his foot. Ginny was sitting comfortably on the couch with Harry and they both had their ears pressed against the receiving end of the ear. Severus was about to say something to stop them from listening but just shook his head in resignation. He was technically spying too, after all.

"How is it not that simple?" David asked.

"I'm not marrying Severus under the marriage law anymore." Hermione said simply. Severus actually had to bite his tongue. _You're leading him on, Hermione, just let him down and get it over with._

Hope flashed across David's eyes and he smiled slightly at Hermione as he reached for her hand. Ginny snickered as Severus growled quietly. She really wished she could see what was making him so angry. Hermione let David take her hand for a moment and then she pulled it away.

"So are you not with him anymore? Are you seeing someone else?"

"No. We were both offered positions at Hogwarts, my old school, and by taking them we were released from the contract." Hermione said. "Severus burned the contracts and asked me to marry him of his own volition."

"And you said yes." It was not a question. Severus had had enough.

"Yes she said yes."

Hermione turned around to see her fiancé standing in the hallway behind them glaring daggers at David.

"Severus!"

"So this is him?" David said barely concealing his disdain. Severus took a menacing step forward causing David to quickly back up into the door.

Hermione noticed David's less than polite reaction as well. "Yes, David. This is him and we are very happy together. I am sorry but it is definitely over between us. I thought I made that clear before."

"But Hermione, he's… he's old!" David couldn't help but exclaim. "Isn't he a little old to have kids? Isn't that what you wanted?"

Hermione stretched out an arm to stop Severus from advancing on David further. Severus' eyes had gone blacker the longer David talked.

"No David, he is not too old. Wizards live well into their hundreds I told you that. It is one of the reasons why you and I are better off apart. And no he is not too old have children, that was a ridiculous thing to say and completely beneath you." Hermione chastised David.

Severus wanted to holler that he'd already impregnated Hermione but he didn't want the conversation to turn into a pissing contest on whose penis literally was better. Instead he wrapped a possessive arm around Hermione's shoulder and stared hard at David.

"It was nice meeting you, David." Severus said glancing meaningfully at the door.

David got the hint and stepped toward the door again but not without a parting shot. "I would have given you children right now if that is what you wanted Hermione."

Severus couldn't take it anymore. "It's too late for that. I am quite capable of performing the deed seeing as Hermione is three months pregnant with _my _child. As such, I would appreciate it if you would leave and never bother my family again."

Hermione's heart burned with pride and love as heard Severus say 'my family.' She could even forgive him for telling David about the baby solely for the purpose of declaring his masculinity for it. She looked at David practically begging him with her eyes to just take his advice and leave. Hermione reached out the hand holding the flowers offering them back to David. David took them slowly his eyes full of the anguish he was trying to hide earlier.

"I'm sorry I bothered you. Good luck for the future." David bit out sarcastically before disappearing out the door and walking dejectedly down the street.

"Well that was fun! David sure is persistent, isn't he? Wow, Hermione, you are so lucky to have two men who want you face off like that. If David was a wizard I bet Severus would have hexed him into next year before he could say 'boo.' Who wants tea?" Ginny rambled happily, her eyes bouncing back and forth between Hermione and Severus. Harry rolled his eyes at his wife.

"Oh Ginny. Do shut up." Hermione said but not without the ghost of a smile.

Severus glanced at his watch for the trillionth time that day. "Actually, we really ought to be going." He said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, you're right. Let me just nip upstairs to get our dresses and then we can go."

Severus sighed and waved a hand in the direction of the stairs signaling for Hermione to hurry up. It was bad enough to be left alone with Harry but now he had to deal with his over bubbly wife and the babies too.

"Severus, do you want to hold one of them?" Harry asked him cheerfully.

"No."

Harry chuckled deeply. "You aren't going to be able to avoid holding babies forever you know. Unless you plan on ditching Hermione the moment yours gets here because you know she won't let you get away with doing nothing."

Severus watched Harry as he tickled his son and made silly faces at him. Severus would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed with how happy Harry seemed with his children. He hoped he could feel that happy and comfortable around his own baby but the thought of holding one of Potter's children actually made his stomach turn. Draco was the only baby he'd ever held and it had been so long he couldn't even remember what it felt like.

"Oh Severus, stop being such a spoil sport." Ginny said as she practically dropped little Lily into Severus' arms.

Severus had no choice but to grasp the baby and pull her close to his chest. _Why did she have to give me the one named after Lily? _The baby had fine red hair covering her little head. Her eyes were closed so Severus couldn't see what color her eyes were but he wasn't sure he wanted to see. He didn't know if his heart could take it if she opened them and they were as green as his father's and his mother's before him. One thing he did know was that if Lily were still alive she would be thrilled that Severus was standing there holding her granddaughter. The little girl in his arms stretched her mouth open in a yawn forming a perfect 'o.' Severus couldn't help but think it was adorable. He was immensely grateful that no one could hear his thoughts.

Severus continued to watch the child's tiny fingers open and close as Hermione reentered the room with the dress bags shrunk to a more manageable size. Hermione felt tears forming in her eyes as she watched Severus hold the baby. His eyes were roaming all over her face as if memorizing her every feature. After a moment little Lily finally opened her eyes and blinked blearily up at Severus. Her eyes were blue. Severus felt silly about his earlier worry and found himself smiling down at the child. So what if she looked just like Lily? He had Hermione who was perfect in her own way and she was going to give him a child of his own.

Severus looked up at Hermione to see her wiping away a tear. He handed the baby back to Ginny and went to pick up the dresses for his fiancé. "We will be going now."

"I'll see you next week at the rehearsal dinner." Hermione said over her shoulder as Severus led her to the floo. Once they were back in the comfort of his own home Severus pulled Hermione into a tight hug.

"Why were you crying, my love?"

Hermione's breath hitched in her throat and Severus could feel more tears moistening his shirt.

"You've never called me that before." She said hiccupping.

Severus had never really thought about what he had or had not called her. He wasn't exactly a pet name person but obviously she liked it. He pushed her away so he could look at her.

"I didn't realize. Why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset, I'm happy. Seeing David was just plain weird and kind of exhausting but seeing you hold that baby just made my heart melt." Hermione said timorously. "I just cry easily lately. I really hate it."

"Pregnancy hormones?" Severus asked.

Hermione pursed her lips together in a very Minerva McGonagall manner. "Perhaps, but that doesn't mean you can just blame everything I say or do on hormones, Severus."

"Agreed." He said pulling her close to him again. "I really hate your ex-boyfriend."

"You sound jealous."

"I am."

Hermione lifted her face to give Severus a soft but lingering kiss. "You have no reason to be jealous."

"I know. I am not jealous of him now. I am jealous because he got to be with you for three years. I wish I had that time with you." Severus said enjoying seeing her eyes light up with his compliments.

"That's sweet but irrational. We will have much more time together. I don't want to talk about David anymore."

"Good. Neither do I." Severus took Hermione's hand and brought her to the kitchen. He put a bowl of grapes and a glass of ice water before her. Hermione gratefully took a grape. It was funny how Severus seemed to know what she needed before she did.

"I want to talk about Narcissa." Hermione deadpanned. "What kind of fidelity charm did Lucius Malfoy use?"

Hermione had been thinking about it since Narcissa's conversation earlier. She really wanted to learn to like Lucius Malfoy and give him the benefit of the doubt but if he wrapped Narcissa up into some sort of fidelity charm and then hurt her, she didn't think she would ever be able to forgive him.

"Lucius' father Abraxas performed the ceremony and he put the fidelity charm on them." Severus answered honestly. "Neither of them knew about it until the rings burned."

"So they do burn?"

"It's more like a stabbing pain as if someone is trying to cut off your finger. Of course your finger remains on your hand but that is what the pain is supposed to mimic." Severus said carefully peeling the skin off of a particularly large grape.

"Did they both cheat, or was it just one of them?" Hermione asked. The pain Severus described did explain the rumors Ginny had heard.

Severus looked at Hermione in the eyes thinking carefully. "Hermione, it is not my story to tell."

"Severus, if I don't know the truth I may never be able to forgive Lucius and I want to put all my bad feelings about him behind me so that I can get along with your friends. What do you know?"

"It was both of them, but please don't hold it against them. Their marriage was essentially arranged but in a way that was much more ominous than ours. Their families had promised them to each other from the moment of their birth and they had a rough beginning. They both had other lovers at the time of their wedding and discovered the fidelity charm Abraxas placed on them the hard way." Severus put down the grape and reached for Hermione's hand. "They are very much in love now and for them there was nothing to forgive. The charm actually encouraged them to work together on building a relationship. They made the best of it."

Hermione found herself actually respecting Lucius Malfoy for his loyalty to his wife. She had already developed a respect for Narcissa but it was harder for Lucius but his affection for his wife was clear and Hermione found it hard to believe that there was ever a time when they weren't absolutely enamored with each other.

"Narcissa seemed so sad." Hermione replied.

"It was a hard time for them." Severus nudged the bowl of grapes toward Hermione encouraging her to eat them all.

Hermione chewed the grapes slowly not saying anything. It was quite an eventful day. Her emotions were running on overdrive after trying on her wedding gown, seeing David, and then watching Severus hold Lily. Even if she wasn't pregnant and slightly hormonal the day would have been wearying. Severus was still holding one of her hands and she watched as he slowly stroked her palm with his thumb. He had an intense look in his eyes that she had only seen twice. Once when he'd proposed and again when he told her he was happy she was pregnant.

"Hermione, I would like to write my own vows for the wedding."

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Hello everyone! I am going to be moving into my apartment this week finally! I have been living in a hotel for a month waiting on it. Needless to say I don't have an appointment to get internet set up yet. I don't know when I will but hopefully it will be within the next week or two. My schedule is kind of hectic. If someone desperately wants an update they will have to let me come use their computer ;) So if you live near Manchester, NH…. **

**I can't give a big enough thank you to all my reviewers, readers, people who put my story on alerts and favorites. It all just makes me feel good.**

**Let's send a giant cookie from Mrs. Fields to my beta whoopsydaisy!**


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Second verse same as the first

Life For Rent

Chapter 22

Severus woke early on the day of his wedding despite the late hour he was up to because of his stag party the night before. Lucius and Draco had insisted on throwing him a small to do at the Leaky Cauldron and had even invited Harry and all the Weasley men. Severus had to admit to himself that it was a good time, even if it wasn't something that he would normally do. He'd done a lot of things he wouldn't normally do since he began his relationship with Hermione that he found enjoyable. The only tense moment was when Severus had announced that he'd asked Lucius to stand up for him. Of all the people there Harry was the only one who seemed disappointed. Severus had no idea what he expected. Yes, it was true they were getting to know each other and that Severus was opening up to him more but that didn't change the fact that Lucius had been one of Severus' best friends for decades. It was as if Harry expected Severus to just adopt him or something and frankly, Severus was getting sick of Harry's self-righteousness. Out of all the people Severus expected to have an objection to Lucius Malfoy being in his wedding it was Hermione, but she'd understood and did not object at all.

The ceremony itself was going to be very small in the chapel just down the road from their house. Hermione's parents, the Potters, Weasleys, Malfoys, and a few Hogwarts faculty members were the only people invited. The only real pomp was going to be their wedding attire and Severus was grateful for that. Severus stretched his long body and finally slid out of bed. He wasn't nervous at all as most grooms probably are before a wedding. The only thing that he was slightly nervous about was his vows. He knew what he was going to say but the idea of saying those things so publicly still grated on his nerves. With the exception of the Grangers, Harry, and of course Hermione herself, nobody in attendance had heard him say anything remotely sentimental and he was not looking forward to people seeing that other side of him.

Severus looked at the empty spot on the bed next to him. It was strange waking up without Hermione beside him and her absence confirmed in his mind that marrying her was the right decision. He would much rather have her there.

*************************************************************************************

Ginny laughed merrily as Hermione made her way out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. Her normally wild hair was even more out of control and she had dark circles under her eyes. The party from the night before had gotten a little out of control as Ginny dragged Hermione from one club to another. Ginny's enthusiasm was split between excitement for Hermione's wedding, her first night away from the twins, and her first adventure clubbing in Muggle London. Hermione really enjoyed herself but she feared she might have overexerted herself a little. She was pregnant after all.

"Coffee." Hermione ground out as she sank into a chair. She used on hand to shove her wild mane of hair off her forehead and the other to pour a generous dollop of cream into the coffee Ginny handed her. She didn't even care that she was supposed to be cutting back on caffeine due to her pregnancy.

"I can't believe I let you keep me out so late. I am getting married today and I look like death warmed over." Hermione said in a somewhat less gravelly voice.

Ginny shrugged innocently. "You'll be fine. We'll put some make up on you and use magic for your hair, and you look gorgeous in your dress. Are you excited?"

"Of course I am excited."

"Are you nervous?"

"No," Hermione said honestly. "Should I be?"

"Well, maybe. I mean, this is huge. Being married to Severus Snape just seems like such a big responsibility to me. He is so much older and mysterious, in a good way of course. And he is so brilliant, which you are too, but being with him, wow Hermione. You two will probably revolutionize Hogwarts." Ginny replied.

Hermione paused to envision herself and Severus at the Head Table watching the sorting ceremony. She wasn't sure about revolutionizing the school but she definitely had plans and Severus did too. Ginny was right about one thing though; Severus had high expectations. Clearly he believed that Hermione lived up to them otherwise he would have broke up with her and offered the Potion's Master position to someone else. That thought reassured Hermione but now that Ginny had her thinking about it she was a little afraid of disappointing him. Not just as his wife and mother to his children, but professionally.

"I don't know about that Ginny, but I think we make a pretty good team." Hermione didn't want to give voice to her concerns because that would somehow validate them. Severus never did anything to make her feel inadequate so it would be unreasonable and unrealistic to create some false scenario in which he did.

"Oh, Hermione! Look at the time; we need to start getting ready."

*************************************************************************************

The small chapel was filled to capacity. Severus shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as he waited at the altar for the music to start. He'd only been in the chapel a couple of times in his lifetime both of them as a child with his parents for holidays. He didn't really believe in any sort of religion but the chapel with its long stained glass windows and walnut seats and trim was quaint and he thought it was a nice enough place to get married.

"You alright?" Lucius whispered to Severus from behind him.

"I imagine I am as comfortable up here as you are. I loathe feeling like I am on display." Severus admitted to his friend as he observed the crowd staring at the both of them and whispering. "I want to thank you for doing this for me. I know this isn't exactly your crowd."

Lucius shrugged slightly and grinned. "I am honored to be here for you, even if you are marrying the last person I would have expected."

Severus turned toward him and frowned slightly.

Lucius held up his hands in surrender. "I approve of course, I have changed Severus. You know that better than anyone."

"I know. Finally." Severus said with relief as the music started and the crowd hushed.

First Ginny walked slowly down the aisle wearing a lovely dark green dress that hung to her ankles. Severus spared her a moment's acknowledgement before shifting his gaze behind her to where Hermione was standing with her father waiting their turn to walk down the aisle. As she started walking Severus met her eyes and he couldn't help but smile. Her eyes were sparkling and she was smiling broadly back at him. She looked exquisite in her silvery white gown. Severus was never one to agree with the whole tradition of white gowns and dressing up for weddings but Hermione did look lovely and he was really glad he didn't bemoan her that one little frivolity for the day. Mr. Granger nodded at Severus as they walked up the aisle. When Hermione's father finally kissed his daughter and passed her off to Severus it took all his self-control to keep from wrapping her in his arms and kissing her right there in front of everyone. It had only been twenty-four hours since he'd seen her last but it felt like a lifetime and her beauty, to him, was unparalleled.

Severus reached for hand and bent down to whisper in her ear. "You are stunning."

Hermione breathed a soft thank you and turned with him to face the Ministry wizard performing the ceremony. Neither bride nor groom really paid any attention to what was being said until they were told to join hands and exchange their vows. Severus' heart started thumping loudly in his chest and he felt the eyes and ears of every person in the room on him. Hermione was to say her vows first so he tried to calm himself long enough to pay attention to her without looking like he was suffering.

Hermione was equally nervous about her vows. She had a speech prepared but she could feel sweat on his hands and see it beading along his hairline and her words failed her. Instead she let out a quiet but sharp laugh. _He is _so _nervous, _Hermione thought.

"Severus, I have given what I want to say today a lot of thought. I know that saying how you feel in front of a crowd is something unlike you and a bit uncomfortable so I decided to do something a little uncomfortable for me and not write them beforehand. I just want to say what is on my mind and in my heart right now." She squeezed his hands tightly and fought to keep her voice steady. "I know that we were brought together under unusual circumstances but I don't regret those circumstances for one instant. I also never imagined that I would feel so wholly connected to another person and I feel incredibly blessed that I have the rest of my life to spend with you. I vow to love and honor you and trust in you and be faithful to you for all of our days together."

Hermione stopped talking and bit her lip. She didn't say half of what she wanted to say but she did feel Severus relaxing just a little. He gazed into her eyes the whole time she was talking and it seemed as if he really was forgetting the crowd of people watching them.

"Hermione, I know that I am not the most eloquent with words of affection and that I am especially reluctant to publicly express my feelings. For you though, I would make a million exceptions to my rules and I would gladly open the doors and allow in the world to hear how I feel for you." Severus paused to take a deep breath. He could see tears welling up in Hermione's eyes. "I have spent most of my life forced to serve one master or another and nothing I ever did was truly for me. When the marriage law was enforced I was afraid that once again I was going to have to choose between what I wanted and what I was forced to do. I was skeptical of what kind of match the ministry was going to give me and I was very surprised that it was you. I am so very happy that it was you. When I found out that we weren't subject to the law anymore the first thing I wanted to do was ask you to marry me on my own terms. I had already fallen in love with you but that day I was able to finally start reclaiming some control over my own life."

Severus stopped talking again and risked a glance at the crowd. Everyone was listening with rapt attention and many women were dabbing at their eyes, Narcissa included.

"Hermione, I am a better person because of you. You challenge me intellectually and emotionally, you make me see the good in myself, you are my sun. I promise to love you, honor you, and cherish you for the rest of our days."

After Hermione and Severus exchanged rings the Ministry official performed the last spell that would bind them together. They both felt a warm glow spread from their joined hands through their bodies.

"I now pronounce husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." The official said smiling widely.

Severus bent low over Hermione and brushed a stray curl off of her face. He moved his face so that his lips were almost touching hers. "I love you." He breathed.

"I love you, too." Hermione whispered just before she leaned the last fraction of an inch to kiss him. The kiss was chaste but slow and Hermione could barely hear the applause of the small crowd in the chapel. Finally they broke apart and walked down the aisle together able to speak at normal levels due to the noise in the room.

"How are you Hermione? You look ravishing but you also look a bit tired." Severus looked at her with concern.

Hermione unconsciously patted her stomach and looked at him sheepishly. "Ginny and I stayed up pretty late but I am fine. I am just really happy to be here with you. But… I really have to go to the bathroom. I don't think I could make it through a whole receiving line first."

"I'll hold everyone off for a few minutes. Hurry up, okay?"

"Thank you, Severus!" Hermione motioned for Ginny to join her and they rushed off to the bathrooms together.

"Oh, Hermione, that was so sweet. Who knew the bat of the dungeons had it in him?" Ginny gushed as she held Hermione's dress up for her. "I don't miss that part of pregnancy, having to pee all the time."

"I'm sure I won't either. I love this dress but I can't wait to get it off so that I can be comfortable and go to the bathroom by myself." Hermione said grinning.

"That's what I'm here for!" Ginny exclaimed. "Severus looks really hot in those robes. Green is a really good color on him, never mind that it is Slytherin colors. It actually suits him."

"You look great in green too, Ginny. Harry won't be able to keep his hands off you. Speaking of which, we need to hurry. Severus won't be able to keep holding off the receiving line forever."

Hermione and Ginny quickly made their way to the back of the chapel where the crowd had gathered to give their good wishes before leaving for the small reception that would be taking place in Harry's small ballroom at Grimmauld Place.

"You look really wonderful, Hermione." Lucius said as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you. And thank you for standing up for Severus today. I know it meant a lot to him." Hermione said.

"I was honored." Lucius replied taking his own wife by the hand as she approached.

"Hermione, what a lovely ceremony. The dress is absolutely perfect! Now we need to get you some maternity clothes from the same designer!" Narcissa also kissed Hermione on the cheek before moving on.

And so it went for the next half hour with all the guests greeting the happy couple and offering luck for their future and for the baby. Severus had long forgotten that he was uncomfortable with crowds as he watched his wife greet their guests. She was beautiful and she was his. Soon he would be a father and the career he'd always wanted. He finally felt like his awful past was completely behind him and his life was finally his own. With Hermione by his side he truly believed he wouldn't ever need anything more again.

The End

Or not, you decide!

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: So, this is the end of Life For Rent unless you want a sequel! If you do you must let me know!!! The sequel might not be quite so fluffy so be warned. I had a hard time with the wedding chapter because I've never had one, the father of my children wanted a wedding at about the same time I wanted to break up so I don't really have any fantasies of the perfect wedding. You all can just plug in what you would like for a wedding into the holes, how about that? As far as the sequel goes, I will take ideas!!!**

**Thanks a million for your reviews and for reading! I will definitely be writing more!**

**Let's all throw a bonfire on the beach for my wonderful beta Whoopsydaisy who rocks my socks off!**

**Cheers,**

**Evenstar101**


	23. Chapter 23

Life For Rent

Chapter 23

**A/N: **Hello everyone! This chapter is actually going to be a fairly long author's note.

First of all, I want to thank everyone for all the praise and the overwhelming amount of requests for a sequel. I told my beta I would write a sequel if at least three people asked for one and so far I have had thirty-five requests for a sequel. It makes me feel absolutely wonderful that you all are still interested in more!!!

I will not be posting a whole new story. I will just pick up with Chapter 24 on this posting of Life For Rent so if you have this story on alert, that's all you need!

Part 2 is going to take place after the birth of Hermione and Severus' child, however, I am torn between three names for their daughter, yes you read right, it is a girl. The choices are Adah, Aliena, or Caris. Please review and let me know which one you like and I will pick the one that has the most votes. As far as a middle name goes send me your suggestions and I will use the one I like the best or the one that has the most creative explanation for why they picked it.

The story will pick up the week before our happy couple takes up their posts at Hogwarts so the kiddo will be a few months old. Hermione is going to take Ginny's words to heart and she has plans to revolutionize the way students of different Houses interact with each other, but will Severus be willing to adapt her ideas to his new regime as Headmaster?

Some of you expressed that you don't like sequels and I understand, so you could always just consider part 2 as a continuation rather than a sequel, or you can stop reading. I would understand. I am starting one other new Severus fic that I will be posting within the next couple of weeks and I am working on a Dramione with another author so updates will be weekly or so. I will never go more than two weeks between updates if I can help it at all.

My fantabulous beta Whoopsydaisy has agreed to continue betaing the story. She happens to love the angst so this story might have a little more in it than the previous. Just so you know though, Hermione and Severus will not break up, they will not give each other the silent treatment (I think that is extremely childish) but they may fight a little more over things that normal couples with new babies and new careers might fight about, add the fact that they work together and there is plenty of room for drama!

Once again, I would like to thank all of you for reading! I love to write and I am learning a lot about the process on this site. I would love to be a novelist and I have original ideas but I believe I have a long way to go before I am good enough. All of your insights and support have made me feel great and I appreciate it! Updates coming soon!!!


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers apply.

Life For Rent

Chapter 24

"Well, here it is." Hermione said excitedly as unceremoniously dumped a stack of parchments on her husband's, now the Headmaster's, desk. Severus pushed aside the papers he was looking at to give hers a cursory glance.

"And what exactly, is this?" He replied holding up the first page and scanning it quickly.

Hermione picked up little Caris Eileen from her bassinette next to Severus' desk and began feeding her. The office had become a combination workspace and nursery for their baby over the last few weeks as Hermione and Severus prepared for a new term. Hermione's office in the dungeons near her Potion's lab also resembled a makeshift nursery. The actual nursery was in the Headmaster's quarters just off from his office. The quarters were designed to mimic that of a three bedroom home and were more than adequate in satisfying the needs of the small family.

"It's the first step in putting my plan of creating more inter-house unity into action."

Severus frowned as he looked at the second page. "It appears to be a stack of schedules."

Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. Severus had been loathing changing anything at Hogwarts. His reasons were twofold, he'd said. One was that he really didn't want to push his luck with the school's governors his first year on the job and the second was that he firmly believed that House rivalries would be as likely to go away as Hagrid's obsession with 'misunderstood' creatures.

"They _are_ schedules. There is one there for each Professor. Instead of having every member of one or two houses in a class together, each year is split into four groups that are a mixture of all the houses. So double potions, for example, would have an equal representation of students from each house. And they are randomly chosen so best friends might be split up and forced to work with other students."

"If only you and your little friends could have been split up." Severus drawled sarcastically.

"Anyway," Hermione breathed, "Students would be mixed up as much as possible. Also, you should encourage all the teachers to set their classrooms up so that groups and study partners are from as many different houses as possible."

Severus reached out a hand and brushed the back of his forefinger over the silky black curls on the top of his daughter's head. The corners of his mouth pulled up slightly as her little lips, lips that were shaped just like her mother's, curled around the bottle Hermione held. Hermione had wanted to breast feed exclusively but knowing that would be difficult at Hogwarts had opted to pump her milk and bottle feed instead. Caris' dark eyes slowly opened and closed as she fought sleep. Severus had known that he would love his child but he didn't expect the pure and unadulterated affection that he held for her from the moment he laid eyes on her.

"She's fighting sleep again." He murmured. Several of the portraits on the walls were silently watching the scene with wistful expressions like so many grandparents waiting their turn to spoil the child.

Hermione looked up from her daughter's face to scrutinize her husband's. He'd been so reluctant to make any changes to Hogwarts on his own that she had taken the initiative and now he was avoiding the subject.

"Don't change the subject, Severus. The schedules, what do you think?"

"Hermione, term starts in a week. It is a little late to be changing the schedules now don't you think? After all, the student schedules would need changing as well." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose to fight a tension headache that was coming on as Hermione raised her eyebrows and smirked at him.

"You already have student schedules done as well don't you?" He asked.

"Of course. It's quite easy to do them all with a spell. And besides, we can't do the first years until they are sorted. Will you at least propose the idea to the professor's? I already have the support of Hagrid and Flitwick, and he is your Deputy Headmaster." Hermione stated.

"You spoke about this with Filius before me?" Severus asked, clearly annoyed.

Hermione put down the empty bottle and held Caris up to her shoulder and patted her little back until she burped. "Does that bother you? I don't see why it should considering you were the one to assign us to work on the schedules together."

"That is true, Severus."

Severus sighed deeply and twisted around in his chair to glare at the portrait of Severus' old friend and mentor. In that moment, Severus cursed the magical artistry that was able to capture Dumbledore's illustrious twinkle in such a lifelike impression.

"Exactly. Technically I was following the proper chain of command. Professors are always supposed to present ideas and concerns to the Deputy before the Headmaster. You said yourself that you cannot treat me any differently than the other professors even though I am your wife. Is that a double standard you set?" Hermione challenged.

"No, don't be ridiculous."

"Oh. So now I am ridiculous? And I suppose you think my idea is ridiculous and I also suppose that you think there are no problems with house rivalries and you would be content to actually promote the stereotypes that define each house. I mean heaven forbid that a Slytherin have any sort of influence from a Gryffindor." Hermione snapped. Caris whimpered a little bit as she felt her mother's arms tense around her. Immediately feeling guilty Hermione willed her muscles to relax and stood up with the baby. Once Hermione began walking her baby immediately settled back down. "Forget it Severus. I am going to go lay her down."

Severus made no move to stop his wife as she walked out of the room with forced calm. If he was so dead set on Slytherins and Gryffindors not influencing each other he would have never married the insufferable know at all. Naturally, she realised that or else she would not have made that comment. In reality, Severus had no really good reason for refusing to make any changes to Hogwarts' curriculum. He'd already agreed to a Fall and Spring dance but he was resistant to anything else.

"Why _are_ you so insistent on refusing her, Severus? Her ideas are sound and worth a try." Dumbledore spoke from his position on the wall.

"I don't know, Albus. I just… its because," Severus once again pinched the bridge of his nose. "She knows she could have discussed the idea with me before Flitwick. I just don't want to make too many changes too soon. Perhaps I am jealous she has all the good ideas. Maybe she should be Head."

"It's just a schedule Severus. And it appears that our Miss Granger, oh dear excuse me, Professor Snape has all the details worked out already." Dumbledore fished through his pockets for a handkerchief and used it to clean off his painted glasses. He perched his glasses back on his long crooked nose and directed his piercing yet coruscating gaze back on Severus. "At the end of the day it is still just a course schedule, and you aren't teaching the classes anyway. Hermione is not going to stop until she gets what she wants and you know it."

"Subtlety was always lost on you Gryffindors." Severus sneered and then bit his tongue. That was exactly the kind of thing Hermione was trying to prevent. And the knowing smile that Albus directed at him signified that the late Headmaster knew it as well.

Dumbledore smiled his scintillating smile once more. "Perhaps, in my youth, if I had a Slytherin friend I would be more dexterous. And if I was so fortunate to have a Ravenclaw friend I would be more logical, and if I were to hold a friendship with a Hufflepuff I would have learned to be loyal to causes other than my own, and as a group, we might have been formidable."

*************************************************************************************

Hermione put her little daughter down in her bed back in their quarters. She touched the little girl's cheeks and ran a hand down her body. The three month old was just beginning to laugh and coo and her features were changing every day. Hermione completely forgot about her parting comments to her husband as she watched the child sleep. She loved her so much she missed her every moment she wasn't in her arms. Caris was right in front of her sleeping and Hermione missed her already knowing that she was going to have to turn around go do something else.

When she finally did turn around she thought with regret about her cheap shot at Severus. He was being completely obstinate about the changes to Hogwarts. He was nearly implacable on allowing frivolities such as dances claiming that they just encouraged dalliances. Of course when she laughed at his arcane phrasing he steadfastly refused even more. After a few weeks of wearing him down he finally gave in but not without clearly expressing his objections. Hermione thanked him in a way that would be wholly inappropriate to discuss in the staffroom and something told her that it wouldn't work a second time anyway.

The syllabus for her own class was spread out across their kitchen table and she sat down to fine tune the reading assignments. Hermione was extremely excited and equally nervous about starting her post as Potions Professor. She wanted the students to like her but more importantly she wanted them to learn from her. She imagined the older students who would remember her and her husband from when they were both still at Hogwarts would be the hardest to deal with. The seventh years were in their second when she did her final year at Hogwarts so they would likely remember her. And even if they didn't her association with Harry Potter would certainly ring a bell.

Severus never said as much but she knew he had some concerns as well. He didn't want to be feared like he was before. He was a completely different person from before and he hoped that it would help the students learn to respect him instead. Hermione reminded him that a lot of students respected him before and that many never believed Harry when he said Severus killed Dumbledore. That was the first time Hermione had mentioned that night and Severus had immediately closed off. She didn't bring it up again.

Now Hermione was angry with him despite how much she didn't want to be. He had no good reason for turning down her changes. Alright, she agreed that maybe the governors excuse was legitimate but she knew they wouldn't object. The problem was elsewhere and she was sick of him turning so stony when he didn't want to talk about something. As much as Hermione wanted the new schedules she wasn't going to push the issue. She was also angry because he complained about her talking to Filius first. What else was she supposed to do? They were assigned to work on the schedules together after all. Heaving a frustrated sigh Hermione packed up her completed syllabi and placed them in a box to take down to her office in the dungeons.

Caris was still asleep so Hermione called on Winky to keep an eye on her while she was gone. At first Hermione had vehemently objected having a house elf as a nanny but Winky was so happy to finally serve a family again that Hermione caved. Winky absolutely adored Caris and took excellent care of her. The Hogwarts elves were still a little wary of Hermione and since she was a Professor there, they were afraid she would free them all. When she'd arrived at the castle a few weeks previously she had to assure them that they would not be freed but she'd made Severus offer them days off and pay if they wanted it. Of course none of them did and Severus had left that encounter gloating. Hermione would just have to learn more about the elves before she tried to establish more rights for them. Obviously it was going to have to be done delicately.

After two weeks of being back in the castle Hermione still hadn't gotten enough of the sights and the smells. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be in a completely magical place. The last time she saw the castle it was shortly after the Final Battle when restorations were taking place. She was pleased to see that the few changes had been made. The only significant change to the castle was a small memorial placed in entryway by the grand staircase with the names of all the students who died in the battle with their pictures. Hermione had stood at the memorial and wept openly her first night there. Seeing Fred's laughing eyes, and Colin's smile behind his ever present camera captured in the wizard photographs awoke fresh the pain she'd felt that night. Even the picture of Lavender tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder tore at her heart.

Passing the memorial again Hermione paused once more. She traced her fingers over the smooth marble obelisk and walked around it again slowly not removing her hand. There were no words beyond names and dates of birth and death on the memorial. Hermione found that fitting because there were no words to describe what so many young people gave up for the war. When the sadness overpowered her once more to the point of tears Hermione withdrew her hand and continued on her way down to the dungeons. She wasn't going to cry anymore about the war. Just like Severus she wanted to put it behind her.

As Hermione walked away Severus approached the memorial. He had watched her from an alcove under the stairs just as he had done the first night he saw her weeping openly in front of it. He'd noticed she left and went to find her and when he saw her crying in front of the obelisk he'd desperately wanted to reach out to her and hold her. But for him pain had always been so private and she was in a state of despair that he had not witnessed from her before and he didn't want to interrupt. Instead he'd turned and slunk back to their private quarters and slipped into bed so she wouldn't know that he'd followed her. This time however, he waited for her to head down the stairs to the dungeon and then approached the obelisk himself. Out of all the students, only one was a Slytherin and Severus knew full well he died fighting for Voldemort.

Mimicking Hermione's movements Severus ran his hand around the obelisk reading the names and glancing at the pictures. These were his students and he failed to protect them. That hurt more than he imagined it would. He felt the pain well up deep in his belly until it finally reached his throat. He swallowed the sob that fought desperately to escape. Severus circled the obelisk one more time reading the names again and he couldn't help but note that almost all of them were Gryffindors. Hermione's friends were the ones on the obelisk. They were the ones who died to secure his freedom along with every one else's and all he ever did was make fun of Gryffindor sentimentality and reckless bravery. How Hermione was able to tolerate was beyond him. He finally realized that his comments had been unforgivably rude and hurtful.

If there was more inter-house unity maybe Gryffindors wouldn't have been the only ones willing to risk their lives. He remembered that night and how the other teachers had to literally push the Gryffindors out of the castle to safety, even the littler ones. He'd actually seen the Death Eater strike down Colin Creevey and in turn Severus sent a well aimed killing curse at the Death Eater. It was his second to last act for Dumbledore in the war; the last was giving Harry the memories. Dumbledore would say that surviving was the last thing he did for him in the war but Severus didn't survive for anyone. He survived on accident but regardless of whether he'd wanted to live at the time, he had Hermione to thank for saving his life. In more ways than one.

Poor Hermione. Maybe if there was more inter house unity there wouldn't be so many Gryffindors on the obelisk. It was no wonder she wanted things to change so much. Dumbledore was right as well. Any arguments he might have had against Hermione's suggestions dwindled in significance in light of what he'd just seen. Another sob racked his throat but he kept it silenced. He would give Hermione whatever she wanted if it would lessen the pain of her losses. He would give it to her if it would ease the sting of his own failures as well. It wouldn't bring the dead back to life but it would provide a small solace for the living.

Severus turned abruptly from the memorial and followed Hermione's footsteps down the stairs. The doorway to his old classroom was standing open and he could see her listing the ingredients in the student's ingredients cupboard. She turned her head slightly and nodded to acknowledge his presence and then went back to her audit. Severus stepped in the room closing the door behind him with a soft click. He sat on the corner of the desk and waited patiently for Hermione to finish her count before speaking.

"I will need to replace a lot of ingredients. Slughorn took care to leave the castle with a lot of the more expensive ones." Hermione deadpanned as she sifted through several empty jars.

Severus harrumphed in response to her comment about Slughorn. He wasn't surprised, the man was extremely greedy. But Hermione's cold demeanor froze his insides. She was angry with him and he didn't blame her one bit but that didn't lessen the pain. He had frozen her out more times than he would like to count and if it hurt her as bad as it did him he was surprised she was still with him.

"Do you need anything, Severus? I mean I have a lot of orders to place and if you aren't busy maybe you should go be with Caris. She is probably awake by now." Hermione sat at her desk and pulled a sheaf of parchment that was partly under Severus' bum hard to release it causing him to stand up. Hermione knew that she was being unreasonably cold but he had really pissed her off and combined with the weight of the emotions she felt at the memorial she was in a snit. All she wanted to do was place an ingredients order, have a bath, some dinner, and a good cuddle with her daughter.

"Hermione, don't…" Severus began.

Hermione finally looked directly at him. "Don't what? I have work to do and I want to finish it so that I can go relax and be with my baby."

"Our baby."

"You know what I mean." Hermione snapped. "I will talk to you later, Severus."

Severus straightened his shoulders and nodded curtly. She had obviously taken lessons in dismissal from him because he couldn't recall being so thoroughly dismissed from a room. Severus hesitated but then he took a step forward and leaned over to kiss his wife on the top of the head. He wanted to tell her he loved her but his throat was not working. Instead he stroked his hand down her hair and walked away.

Hermione remained frozen in her position until she heard the door close behind him. When she was confident he wasn't going to come back in she laid down her quill, covered her face with her hands, and cried once again.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Okay so here is another chapter. This one is a little more angsty than the others. I hope you liked it. **

**So, for the name, Caris won over Aliena by three votes. I chose Eileen as a middle name because a few people pointed out that Severus really loved his mother and I agreed that should be recognised. I really appreciate the suggestions, particularly one reader who recommended three very unusual names that were Native American, Indian, and German or something or other. I am going to keep those names for future reference.**

**I had a couple of comments about not liking any of the names that they were too uncommon or whatever so I just wanted to say that I am crap at picking names. Those three names were chosen because they are the names of three female characters from books I have read and loved in the last few months. **

**Adah is Adah Price from The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.**

**Aliena is from The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett**

**Caris is from World Without End by Ken Follett**

**All three of those characters were strong and beautiful and the books were wonderful and I would recommend them to anyone regardless of what kinds of things you typically like to read.**

**And finally, there was a comment or two about them having a girl. One reviewer pointed out that all of the fics where they have kids seem to have girls. I have only read two fics where Hermione and Severus have a child together and in both it was a boy so I did not realise that. That being said, I was being selfish when I chose a girl because I have three sons and I always longed for a girl. I am living vicariously through my characters and I hope you can forgive me that slight indulgence.**

**Thank you all so much for your support with this story! I have the best readers in fan ficdom. I also have the best beta, Whoopsydaisy, you are awesome!!**


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own HP

Life For Rent

Chapter 25

The staffroom was alive with the buzz of easy chatter among friends. Minerva McGonagall was talking with Hermione while Severus looked on. Minerva was in attendance to officially introduce Severus to the staff as the new Headmaster although most of them had already met with him. There were few changes to the staff, only Hermione replacing Slughorn and Severus. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Robert Glitch, had been in the post since the year following the war. Minerva seemed to like him well enough although she said that he didn't have the same passion for the subject that Severus did. Severus didn't believe that anyone had the same passion for the subject as he did but he was still disappointed to hear that and planned to follow Glitch's curriculum carefully.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder at Severus and nodded to him, offering him a small smile. Severus nodded in return and continued to watch her as she turned back around. It had been two days since their argument in his office and neither of them had brought it up. Severus also hadn't mentioned what he saw at the memorial but he was beginning to think he should. He could sense that she wasn't angry with him anymore, just disappointed that her plans hadn't worked out. Of course, neither were the type to give the silent treatment but she was quieter than usual the last couple of days and in true Severus fashion, he'd made no move to open up to her or encourage her to open up to him. He hoped his announcements at the staff meeting would cheer her up and warm up some of the frostiness he felt coming from her.

After a few more moments of allowing the staff time to chat about their holidays Minerva stood up and called attention to the group.

"Good morning everyone!" Minerva called silencing the group as easily as if they were scared students. Minerva smiled inwardly; she hadn't lost her touch after all those years. "I do hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday but the new term is upon us and as you all know, there are some changes this year."

Minerva gestured at Hermione and Severus. "I am pleased and honored to finally be able to pass the castle over to my successor, Severus Snape." There was a polite smattering of applause as Severus stood up and bowed slightly in recognition. "And I am also pleased to announce Professor Hermione Snape who will take over the post of Potions Master. The Snapes also have their lovely daughter Caris here in the castle with them so if you have not already please drop in and see her. She is perhaps our loveliest addition to the castle this year."

Minerva talked for a little while more before finally giving the floor to Severus. He waited patiently as most of the teachers wiped tears away after McGonagall's goodbyes as a Headmaster.

"Thank you Minerva for those warm words of welcome." Severus said nodding in her direction. Usually at staff meetings Severus would be hidden away in a corner of the room away from the group. It was highly disconcerting to be the center of attention but nobody was look at him with outright disdain like he expected. They were all waiting patiently for him to continue. He was not so changed that he would be willing to give some form of acceptance speech so he decided to get right down to business.

"In addition to our new staffing arrangement there will be a new scheduling procedure at this school. It is of the opinion of several staff members," Severus restrained himself from looking directly at Hermione, "and I that we take proactive measures in order to increase inter-house unity. There will be two balls this year and you will each receive a new class schedule reflecting more changes. There will still be double lessons but instead of teaching all the students of two houses each class will be divided equally among all four houses. For example you will still teach two sessions of third year potions but instead of Slytherins with Gryffindors, and Ravenclaws with Hufflepuffs, they will all be mixed. Finally, a change that I would like to implement is an inter-house Quidditch league. Madame Hooch and heads of houses I would like to a schedule a meeting to discuss that possibility."

Severus stopped speaking and finally chanced a glance at Hermione. She looked just as surprised as the others at his suggestions about inter-house unity. He wondered if she was surprised about the Quidditch or all of it. It was actually Dumbledore who suggested the Quidditch team but Severus enjoyed Quidditch so was easily persuaded. He hoped Hermione didn't honestly believe that he wasn't going to take her and Flitwick's scheduling ideas seriously. Retrospectively however, he could see how Hermione would have that impression. Severus wrapped up the meeting by handing out their new teaching assignments and wishing everyone luck with the new year. Once it was over he approached Hermione.

"Hello Hermione." Severus whispered as if he hadn't seen her yet that day. His voice was low and seductive and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Severus." She replied.

Severus placed a hand on her back and steered her out of the staffroom. As soon as they were in the hallway he took her hand. Hermione looked up at him and smiled. She never really envisioned as willing to hold her hand inside of the school.

"What?" He asked.

Hermione swung their joined hands forward a little and then brought them back to rest between them. "I guess I am just surprised that you wanted to hold my hand."

"I always want to hold your hand, or just you. But something tells me this isn't the only surprise you've had this morning." Severus led her outside the front doors of the castle. "The weather is nice and we need to talk. Let's take a walk."

Severus led Hermione to a secluded section of the lake close to the Forbidden Forest. It was actually a spot that he had evicted many cavorting students from in the past and knew that with a few well selected charms they would not be disturbed or even seen. The talk he was about to have with his wife could take awhile and he did not want to be disturbed.

"We probably shouldn't stay away from Caris long if we don't have to." Hermione commented as she watched Severus cast a couple of privacy charms and conjure a bench with cushioned seats.

"I have already spoken to Winky. Caris will be fine. Hermione we have been incredibly busy since the wedding and even more so since our daughter was born. I want to spend some time alone with you." Severus reached for both of Hermione's hands and leaned down to give her a soft kiss. "Is that alright?"

Hermione just nodded and sat down on the bench. Severus sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder and breathed in his familiar scent. She sighed contentedly. The last few days had been trying and stressful for her and it felt good to relax in his arms.

"I saw that you were surprised at my announcements during the meeting." Severus stated.

"I was. You never told me Dumbledore mentioned a new Quidditch team."

"Tell me Hermione, was that the only thing that surprised you?" Severus asked.

Hermione pulled herself out of his arms and turned sideways on the bench so she could face him. "No Severus. I was surprised about the schedules. I really believed that you were not going to use my ideas. What made you change your mind?"

"Nothing made me change my mind. Well that's not completely true, but the last time we talked about it I really hadn't made a decision yet." Severus took her hand in his and traced the lines on her palm with his thumb.

"What was it that made you decide to use the new schedule then? If you weren't completely against it before that is." Hermione asked.

"You did."

Hermione looked at him confused. She had completely dropped the topic altogether. Maybe she was right and the way to get Severus Snape to give you what you want is to leave him alone. But that didn't feel right and Hermione knew that Severus didn't expect her to change her squeaky wheel ways for him.

"How?"

"I saw you by the memorial our first night here and then a couple of days ago. You were so upset and it hurt my heart to see you that way. I imagine there are thousands of reasons that memorial made you cry but when I looked at it myself and saw how many of the dead were Gryffindors, it really hit me that those deaths could have been avoided if the houses were closer."

Hermione pulled her hand away from Severus scowling. "You saw me there and you said nothing? And how do you think those deaths could have been avoided?"

"Don't take this the wrong way Hermione, but Gryffindors are rash sometimes. They rush straight into danger and, of course, it is the house of the famous Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore so naturally many of them wanted to fight in the war. But, if those Gryffindors were influenced by members of other houses, like Ravenclaw logic and Slytherin cunning, fewer Gryffindors may have died because they would not have rushed headlong into danger like that." Severus put one long finger up to Hermione's lips to silence the retort he could see building in her eyes. "_And, _maybe there would have been more people from other houses willing to fight in the war as well. I am not trying to insult the nature of the Gryffindors although I realize you may see it that way, I am just trying to point out that I agree that the traits of each house are better, erm, shared for a lack of better words."

Hermione sat in stunned silence for a moment. The fact that most of the names belonged to Gryffindors was not her motivation for wanting more inter-house unity but now that he pointed out it gave her something else to think about. Of course she knew it was mostly Gryffindors but she didn't share his belief that they _'rushed headlong'_ into danger. Thinking back on Ron and Harry's behavior over the years though, she would have to be inclined to agree on some levels. Dumbledore had wanted Hermione on the Horcrux hunt because he was hoping she would slow them down.

Severus watched Hermione's face carefully fighting his natural inclination to use Occulmancy. Finally she nodded her head slowly twice and then spoke thoughtfully as if she was carefully measuring her words. "That is all well and good Severus, but why didn't you come to me when you saw me crying?"

"Why didn't _you_ come to me?" Severus demanded. "I thought we had reached the point where we could trust each other with those kinds of feelings. I understand that for both of us pain is private but I trust you with my feelings. I have never trusted anyone with my feelings. I don't even like the word feelings and here I've said it three times already. If you are hurting that much because of the war I want to be there for you. I didn't go to you because I hoped you would come to me but you didn't. I won't know what it was like for you unless you tell me."

"You won't tell me what it was like for you. You have actually seen the memory of one of the worst days for me during the war and I don't even know what the worst part was for you."

"What do you think the worst part of the war was for me, Hermione?" Severus asked in a dangerously low voice.

"I don't know. Spying? Lying to everyone?" Hermione said indignantly. "How am I supposed to know you don't talk about it?"

"Think about it Hermione. What about those names on the memorial is significant? How did they all die, Hermione?" Severus was about to break down the dam holding back an ocean of regret and pain. He hoped Hermione was ready for it.

"They were ki-," Hermione stopped herself and looked down at her lap, understanding where Severus was going with his line of questioning. "They were murdered."

"Exactly." Severus turned his face away from Hermione and stared straight in front of him. He clenched his fists tightly on his lap until his knuckles shone white. "I killed people Hermione. And not just any people, the people I loved. I told of the prophecy that put Lily and James at Voldemort's mercy and Albus, my own personal savior and mentor, I killed him with my own hand."

"You didn't know it was Lily and James when you told of the prophecy. You were just a kid."

"Harry was just a kid." Severus snapped.

Hermione shrunk away from him. It appeared that Severus was about to tell her some of his secrets. She imagined she knew some of the things he was going to say because she'd heard about it from the memories Harry saw, but it was different hearing it from him. But she was frightened of how he was going to act afterwards. He seemed really angry and she couldn't help but feel like it was directed toward her.

"I know Severus. But I still maintain that there was nothing you could have done. You went to Dumbledore for help, what else could you have done?"

"I wish I could have died in their place."

"It would have served no purpose."

"And Lily's death did? What purpose did that serve? Can you tell me that? Was the life of married woman with a young child worth less than mine? Did I have a stronger _purpose?_" Severus stood and began pacing. "I loved her! Even though she hadn't talked to me in years. She chose James over me and I _still _loved her and I _valued_ her life even if it wasn't one she was going to share with me. And then as soon as I thought I could move on from that her son shows up and I had to look into her eyes on his face and be reminded that he was standing in front of me because she wasn't. I couldn't stop regretting Lily when I saw her nearly everyday for six years. Of course I made comments and focused on the traits Harry possessed that resembled his father, but the truth was I hated him because he reminded me of Lily not James!"

Hermione continued to watch her husband pace with wide-eyed fascination. She sensed tears falling down her cheeks but only a residual level. Her body was paralyzed with the intensity of Severus' mood and she was afraid the tiniest motion would remind him that she was there listening and he would stop talking.

"My role in Lily and James' deaths, as terrible as it was, didn't even compare to how it was for me to kill Albus. I know he was sick from the cursed ring but that was supposed to be Draco's job. Albus said Draco's soul was still pure. What about my soul? What about my soul, Albus?" Severus shouted across the lake toward the white tomb where the Headmaster's body laid. "You never did answer that question! I have a child now and what am I supposed to tell her when she hears what I did? What about my soul?"

Severus fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. Hermione's ears were still ringing with his words as they echoed around her otherwise empty skull. She acknowledged his body racking with sobs but the sound was lost on her. Throwing caution to the wind Hermione moved to the ground and wrapped her arms around her husband. At first he stiffened as if to pull away but instead he wrapped his arms around her and buried his head against her stomach. She could feel his tears wetting her robes and her tears wetting his hair as she buried her face in it.

Time was indefinable for Severus. He didn't know if he spent five minutes or five hours weeping into the robes of his wife. The only thing he knew was that he felt more relieved than he ever thought possible even if he was slightly embarrassed. Severus dragged a hand down his face to wipe away the extra moisture as he pulled away from Hermione. He turned away from her and sat with his back leaning on the bench. Hermione remained where she was but she watched him uncertainly. This was the point in the conversation she was afraid of. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to dismiss her for witnessing him break down and figured that if she was going to say anything she'd better spit it out before he sent her away or walked away himself.

"I'm not going anywhere, Hermione. And neither are you." Severus said shocking Hermione out of her thoughts. She frowned at him but interrupted her response. "I don't need Occulmancy I can see it in your eyes."

"Good. But you know I can't just let this go without saying something about all of it."

"I wasn't expecting you to."

"Then you need to know that what you didn't taint your soul. And as far as what will we tell Caris? The truth I hope. What you did was honorable as hard as it is to live with. Dumbledore said we have to choose between what is right and what is easy. He can't possibly begrudge you for following his own advice."

"It is difficult."

"I do have one question about it, if you are willing to answer. Harry said that before you performed the curse, Dumbledore was looking at you like he was begging for something and you were looking at him like you hated him. Why?"

Severus pulled at a string on the cuff of his sleeve. He was fidgeting and the abnormality of it wasn't lost on either of them.

"You don't have to answer."

"No, I will. We were using Occulmancy to communicate then. He was begging me to move and enjoy my life and to help Harry and Draco, whilst simultaneously begging me to end his pain and misery. I was looking at him like I hated him because I had to perform the curse. I couldn't kill him thinking about how he'd helped me and taught me. He knew all that of course because he was using his last bit of energy to read my mind and when he realized that my anger toward him wasn't enough to successfully perform the curse he told me the one thing that he knew would hurt me more than anything and it worked."

Hermione bit her lip to keep from saying 'what did he say?'

"He told me the day that he asked me to kill him that he would do whatever it took to make sure I fulfilled the wizard's oath I took. I was under oath to help Draco and kill Albus and failure to do either would have resulted in my own death. Albus told me that if I hesitated he would tell me whatever it took to give me enough anger to perform the curse but he promised me he wouldn't mean it and I shouldn't remember his last words as the ones that were true. But he told me that I wasn't worth it, that I wouldn't ever be good enough for anyone. Only then I was able to think about all the times he manipulated me and Potter and everyone else in the Order. Even you, through that stupid book of children's tales he manipulated. He groomed Potter to die for his cause. Nobody asked Potter what he wanted to fight for it was just handed to him because the great Albus Dumbledore said it was to be that way. Prophecies don't have to come true. Did you know that? The future is impossible to predict."

Hermione nodded her agreement at his last statement but kept quiet.

"The last thought he sent my way occurred in that split second between the curse leaving my wand and hitting his body. He told me quite simply 'go live now.' He validated and denied the one thing that was plaguing me. He validated that my life wasn't worth it; that I wasn't worth Lily or all the years he spent training me but that was just to make me angry enough to kill him. He took it back when he told me to go live. I have been trying."

Severus turned his head toward the tomb again. "Merlin knows, Albus, I am trying."

Hermione stood up from her spot and stretched her legs before sitting back down on the bench.

"Sit with me please." She said reaching for him. Severus pulled himself up and stretched as well. He sat on the bench and pulled Hermione close to him.

"I'm sorry I am such a hard person to be with. I was angry that you didn't tell me about what you did to your parents when you sent them to Australia, and then I was angry again when you didn't tell me what happened at the Malfoy's, and damn it all if I wasn't angry again when you cried at the obelisk. I keep expecting you to trust me with how you feel when I haven't shared anything with you. I sincerely hope you can forgive me that double standard. I do not want you to think I am a hypocrite."

"I don't. I have been tired and difficult too. It is draining taking care of a new baby and preparing for term at the same time. I didn't bring up the schedules again because I didn't want to fight and if I brought it up I would have fought for them. I wish you had told me that you were going to use them. I wasn't angry with you but I wanted to be and that would have made things a lot easier. And I cried at the memorial because I could. I was already feeling like a good cry would be cathartic and the memorial just triggered it. I was okay alone but it would have been nice for you to let me know you saw and cared." Hermione said.

Severus leaned over and kissed her soundly. "I love you, Hermione and I know I don't say it enough. You mean more to me than you will ever know and I hope you can forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive. I love you too, Severus and if these wards are strong enough I would like to show you how much before we go back." Hermione purred while stroking her hand up his thigh. Now that Severus' emotions were under control she wanted to completely change the mood and enjoy the precious moments she had alone with her husband. Apparently Severus agreed because he pushed Hermione down and was quickly laying on top of her kissing her neck running his hands up and down her body.

"Oh, they're strong enough."

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: so another super emotional chapter. In the beginning I wasn't really planning on having any that stuff in here but now its out and what's done is done. I realise that in the beginning of the chapter it was partly about Hermione's feelings about the war and then it shifted into solely Severus' issues and Hermione's were pretty much forgotten. It doesn't mean she is going to forget it completely and not bring it up, her plan is to start saying what she's feeling in the moment to just get it out so every revelation does not turn into a big drama fest. That's why she didn't talk more about crying at the memorial. **

**Next couple of chapters will have students so they should be a lot lighter in tone. Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think and I hope everyone gets a chance to see HP6 if you are not boycotting WB that is.**


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling

Life For Rent

Chapter 26

_You may not think I'm pretty_

_But don't judge on what you see_

_I'll eat myself if you can find a smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts sorting hat _

_and I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head _

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor _

_Where dwell the brave at heart_

_Their daring nerve and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs _

_Are true and unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin _

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folks use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_Each founder was so different_

_Their talents were so unique _

_But together they were mighty_

_And their qualities were complete_

_Who says Slytherins can't be loyal _

_Or Ravenclaws brave and true_

_Why can't Gryffindors be cunning_

_And Hufflepuffs witty too. _

_Look across your table_

_To members of another house_

_For this year they are your teachers_

_And will verify what I espouse_

_So put me on your head and I will look inside_

_To see what you will offer others_

_The qualities of your house do not define you_

_It is merely something to offer your sisters and your brothers_

"The first part of that was really similar to what I heard in my first year." Hermione whispered in Severus' ear as the students applauded the Sorting Hat's song. "Everyone looks so confused. This is so exciting!"

Severus chuckled lightly and patted Hermione on the knee underneath the table. He could feel her quivering with excitement as the students were sorted into their new houses. As each name was called Hermione tapped a piece of parchment finalising that student's schedule. At the end of the sorting she banished the schedules to her office with a triumphant flourish of her wand. The year was off to an excellent start.

After Hermione and Severus' talk the little bit of tension that had grown between them disappeared and was replaced with Hermione's bubbling energy as she anticipated the new school year. Severus didn't say as much but he understood where her excitement came from. She loved school had been a dedicated student. He also knew that she would be a dedicated teacher as well. He himself could remember the first few days before each term when he was a child. In his early years he would arrange and rearrange his books and supplies in his trunk. Even after all his years teaching at Hogwarts there was a satisfying sense of renewal he felt each year when he purchased new parchment and potion ingredients.

Sitting to Hermione's right was the newest member of the staff besides herself, Robert Glitch. She met him at the last staff meeting but hadn't really talked to him at all. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him looking from her to Severus, who was greeting the students, with a hint of disdainful amusement in her eyes. Hermione turned toward him with one eyebrow raised. She could vaguely recognize him, Ravenclaw about five years older than her, she believed.

"Oh now I see it." He commented with just a hint of sarcasm.

"See what?" Hermione hissed back under her breath. She sensed more than heard Severus pause in his speech when she spoke so she turned her attention back toward the podium and her husband. Severus finished his speech and the food appeared on the tables. Under the cover of the now noisy Great Hall Hermione turned back toward Robert.

"Well?"

Robert casually licked a bit of gravy off of his fork. "I was just trying to figure out how _you_ ended up with _him._"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Hermione deadpanned as Severus resumed his seat beside her. "Great speech, Severus."

Severus looked first at Hermione and then past her to Glitch who was watching with feigned disinterest. "The parts you heard, you mean?"

Hermione scowled at Glitch who was smirking at them both now.

"For future reference, Professor Glitch, it would be prudent for the staff to remain quiet at the Head Table while the Headmaster, or anyone for that matter, speaks. It sets a poor example for the students when their teachers lack decorum."

Glitch's smirk immediately slid into a scowl and he turned his attention back to his plate. Hermione, feeling equally chastised, took a sip of her wine.

*************************************************************************************

After the feast Hermione rushed to the Head's quarters to spend some time with Caris while Severus returned to his office. He still had to meet with the Head students and the prefects and he also asked Glitch to meet with him as well. He wanted to make the meetings quick so he could get back to Hermione and Caris.

The meeting with the students was over quickly. The Head boy and girl both remembered him from his previous and unsuccessful year as Headmaster and he could sense they still feared him considerably. He was going to have to make concerted effort to change the fear to respect. Surely they did respect him after everything they had learned about him since the war but it was going to take some getting used to for all parties involved. Glitch, on the other hand, was a whole different story. Something about that man rubbed him the wrong way. And to top it all off, now he seemed to be taking an interest in Hermione. At the knock on the door Severus schooled his features into the classic unreadable mask he wore through all his years as a professor.

Robert entered Severus' office and settled into the chair across from him. Severus took in his dirty blonde and spiky hair, the curve of his lips that betrayed his amusement with the situation and his cockiness, and his sky blue eyes. Severus realized that he was a quite good looking young man and that made him hate him all the more. He reminded him of what David would probably be like if he was a wizard. Severus shook the thought from his head. Hermione's ex-boyfriend was the last person he wanted Glitch to remind him of.

"You wanted to see me, sir." Robert said casually.

"Obviously." Severus said, unable to help himself. "I will get right to the point. I have been reviewing your past lesson plans for Defense Against the Dark Arts and I believe they are lacking. The books you use are appropriate enough but there is room for more outside reading. It also appears that you only teach what is going to be on the OWLs or NEWTs and the rest of the class time is, in my opinion, wholly wasted."

Robert straightened in his chair defensively and glared at Severus.

"Not all of us know the Dark Arts as well you, Headmaster." Robert sneered.

Severus stood from his chair and advanced on Glitch. "That is quite right. Therefore I am the authority on the subject. And if you don't think you know enough to teach beyond a study guide for qualifying exams than maybe we should reconsider your post here."

"So you're going to sack me?" Glitch said incredulously.

"No." Severus sat back in his chair and pulled a parchment in front of him. "But you are on probation. Here is a list of topics you do not cover that you should. I will be periodically visiting your classroom and reviewing assignments after you have graded them. Good evening and good luck."

Robert snatched the list from Severus' hand and skimmed through it. "Why do I feel like you are targeting me? Just because I used to be your student does not mean I will let you intimidate me."

"Intimidate you? I think not. I am merely doing my job and how I deal with other members of the staff is not your business. I said good evening."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as Robert shut his office door slightly harder than necessary. He was going to be difficult to work with, that much was clear. He certainly was not 'targeting' him. His wife was on probation for pity's sake. Of course, for her it was because it was her first year teaching. Thoughts of Hermione cheered Severus considerably as he cleared his desk for the night.

When he entered their rooms he saw Hermione walking around the living room holding Caris. He smiled warmly at them both and walked over to give them both a kiss, Caris on the top of her little head, and Hermione a slow deep kiss on the lips.

"Mmm, it's good to see you too." Hermione murmured. "Meetings go well?"

Severus shrugged out of his robes and unbuttoned the first few buttons on his shirt. Hermione thought he looked incredibly sexy like that. She looked down at the baby in her arms and wished for a brief moment that she was asleep already.

"Well enough. What were you and Glitch talking about at dinner tonight?" Severus took Caris from Hermione. "Hello my little darling." He murmured as Caris smiled and squirmed with happiness at being in her father's arms.

Hermione walked into their little kitchen to put on the kettle for tea. Severus followed behind still talking quietly to Caris. Hermione didn't think she would ever get used to her hard husband being so gentle and loving. He turned into absolute putty whenever Caris was around and she would probably be the only person who would ever successfully manipulate him. All she would have to do is bat her eyelashes and smile and Severus would give her whatever she wanted.

"I don't really know what Glitch was trying to get at. Actually, I do but it's not important, really." Hermione fixed a bottle for Caris and handed it to Severus.

"Are you sure? You seemed annoyed with him." Severus was pressing for details as if to find one more reason to dislike the DADA professor.

Hermione settled down in the chair next to Severus with her tea and shrugged. "He made a snide and offhand remark about us being together. I wouldn't read anything into it. He seems like an arrogant berk if you ask me. Good, she's falling asleep."

Severus rose from his chair to go put Caris to bed. It was a good thing the child was falling asleep because he could feel his irritation growing and he didn't want Caris to sense it. Hermione kissed her daughter before Severus could lay her in the crib and waited for Severus to say good night. He followed his wife into their bedroom before he said anything.

"He has a lot of nerve." Severus huffed.

Hermione shrugged out of her own robes and pulled her blouse over her head completely oblivious to what she was doing to her husband. "I mean honestly, Severus. He was being a complete arse."

Hermione, dressed in only her bra and underwear, took Severus' hands in hers. Pulling him close she trailed kisses from his ear down his throat. "If he can't see why I would want to be with you, then he is shallow, and ignorant, and not worth anybody's concern."

Severus hummed in appreciation of her words and the movement of her hands as she deftly removed his shirt and tie. "Whatever you say, my love."

Hermione backed up pushing him away slightly with a hand on his chest. "That is what I say."

Severus pulled Hermione back toward him and kissed her deeply, tasting the tea she'd just had and a hint of the strawberries she'd eaten at dinner. He unclasped her bra and pulled it off in one smooth movement as he pushed her onto the bed. Hermione sighed with pleasure and relief as her breasts, still larger than usual because of Caris, were freed from the confines of her bra.

Hermione dragged her hands down the length of Severus' body letting them rest on the bulge in his pants. "Make love to me, Severus."

"Always."

*************************************************************************************

The following morning Hermione awoke fresh faced, satisfied, and nervous. It was finally her first day of teaching and she wanted it to be just as perfect as the night before had been. She was eager to instill her knowledge and love of potions into the students and looked forward to her classes with the first years most. She was not naïve enough to think that the students who had Slughorn would be so easy to influence. But she resolutely refused to believe that she wouldn't be able to convince the majority of her first years to love learning as she did. Severus laughed when she voiced those thoughts.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's just your expectations for the dunderheads are so high. It's really endearing." He smirked.

"Ha ha. You have very little faith in me." She retorted.

Severus laughed again. "In you, I have all the faith in the world. It's the children who tend to disappoint."

"Eh, if there is at least one who wants to learn I will be quite happy."

Severus wrapped her in his arms. "I will concede you that point. It only takes one eager student to make your job worthwhile."

Hermione reached the breakfast table in the Great Hall after Severus had already finished and left for his office. She passed out the Gryffindor schedules before tucking into a bowl of porridge. She felt oddly lonely at the Head Table without Severus and Caris there. Hermione was looking forward to when Caris was ready to start eating solid foods. Severus had already agreed that she would join them at the Head Table when that time arrived.

She wasn't alone for long, however, because Robert Glitch soon filled the empty seat next to her.

"Good morning, Granger."

"Snape." She corrected biting back her annoyance. She wasn't going to let him spoil her good mood.

"Whatever." He said pulling a rasher of bacon toward him.

Hermione dropped her spoon and turned to face him. "Pardon me?"

Robert smirked. "I remember you. You got here my sixth year, or was it my seventh? No matter, you were bushy haired and buck toothed, and all the kids in Ravenclaw that were in your year were surprised you weren't in our house. They also said you were quite an annoying know-it-all."

"What is your point? If you have one, get to it; otherwise let me eat in peace." Hermione snapped.

"You certainly have changed. Physically at least, and I am sure you are still the teacher's pet. Or in this case, the Headmaster's." Robert drawled as he looked deep into Hermione's eyes, challenging her.

"What are playing at Glitch? Are you jealous of me? Do you want to be the Headmaster's _pet_? Because I don't recall ever doing anything to offend you and I'm sure Severus hasn't either, so if you don't mind, leave me alone." Hermione threw her spoon in her bowl and left the table.

She exited the side doors and stalked down the hallways toward the Headmaster's office. Initially, Hermione was just going to head straight down to her classroom and await her first class there but she decided to go to Severus' office first. He deserved to know what was going on with Glitch both on a personal and a professional level. She was also concerned about something that else Glitch said, or more likely something she inferred from what he said.

"Come in." Severus called through the door as Hermione knocked.

Hermione turned the doorknob slowly. It felt strange knocking on the door of her own husband's office but now that term had officially begun she was a Professor during the day. Severus made it really difficult for her to maintain that persona though especially when he kissed her hello and had their daughter laying in the bassinette with a mobile whirring above her head.

"What are you doing up here? Class starts in fifteen minutes I figured you would be in the classroom already." He said.

"I needed to talk to really quickly. I will just floo into my office from here." Hermione walked over to Caris and tickled her. "Where is Winky?"

Severus smiled sheepishly and came very close to shuffling his feet on the floor. "I sent her away for awhile. I didn't see why Caris couldn't be in here with me for the time being."

"That's really sweet, Severus. I kind of wish I could bring her to class with me. Anyway though, I don't have a lot of time so I will get to the point. I spoke with Glitch again this morning and he seemed to be under the impression that I am the 'Headmaster's pet' and it got me thinking. What if the other professor's, as well as Glitch, think that I am going to get special treatment?"

"I do give you special treatment." Severus said as he kissed Hermione's neck. "I'm sure you don't want me doing this to Professor Flitwick."

Hermione laughed and slapped his shoulder. "You know what I mean. Why is it that when I need you to be serious, you aren't?"

"Well, I did put Glitch on probation last night. I really don't think he liked that very much."

"I'm on probation too," Hermione mused out loud, "but he doesn't know that, does he?"

Severus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I would think he would know because you are new. Either he thinks you aren't because you are my wife, or his ego was too bruised by critique of his teaching to realize that you are on probation as well. As far as the other professors are concerned I don't think you have a thing to worry about. They all know the both of us very well and I am sure Glitch will see it eventually. I don't know what his problem is but I am keeping an eye on him."

"Good. I don't want any issues with him to spoil my year. I really better go."

"Hermione, thanks for telling me."

Hermione kissed her husband on the cheek before reaching for a handful of floo powder. "Of course. I love you and I will see you at lunch. Kiss Caris for me."

"It's never an uneventful year at Hogwarts is it, Severus?"

Severus turned toward the voice nodding his head in agreement. "It seems that way doesn't it Albus? What do you know about Robert Glitch? Did Minerva have any troubles with him? I certainly don't see her tolerating that kind of behavior and she didn't mention anything about him that was unusual beyond the fact that his curriculum was not up to snuff."

"I think you know about as much as I do Severus. I do know that he was the only person who applied for the position the year after the war and nobody else has applied since. Perhaps you and Minerva should visit about him a while longer. I do believe that you both would probably agree that he is not a qualified teacher but unfortunately she was desperate to find a teacher for that position. You Severus were the best Defense teacher this school had and I am sorry that I couldn't give you the post." Albus fished into his painted pocket for a packet of sweets. Unsticking one he popped it into his mouth and savored it with his eyes close. When he opened them, he saw Severus watching him curiously.

"One of the beautiful things about these magical portraits is that we can still enjoy the flavors of our previous lives." Albus quipped.

"Interesting." Severus replied. "Do you think Hermione's worries about the other professors are founded?"

"No Severus, I don't. I think everyone here is really happy to see you together. You are two of the most professional and intelligent people I know and the school has suffered without the both of you here. I know you will find an acceptable solution to your problem with Glitch and you have nothing to fear from the other professors."

Caris began to whimper slightly as the charm revolving her mobile wore off. Severus picked her up and held her close breathing in her scent. Hermione bathed her in a lavender and vanilla concoction that she created herself. It calmed Caris at night and made Severus want to bury his nose in her head all the time.

"It is such a joy to see you enjoying your life, Severus. She truly is a wondrous child to behold. I believe we can expect great things from her, just like her parents." Albus said softly from his perch on the wall.

"Perhaps we could expect great things from her Albus, but I just want her to be a child for now."

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: I want to start by immediately apologizing for a glaring error that I made in the last chapter. I wrote Occlumency when I meant Legilimency and on top of that I misspelled it. I am horribly embarrassed and hope you can forgive me!!! ****I will try to keep my errors down in the future. English is my first language but that clearly doesn't mean I know how to use it properly. And don't blame my beta either, she was in a cabin with crappy internet going through my chapter when she should have been having 'family time.'**

**As always thanks for your reviews, they are like little rays of sunshine in the cloudy skies that constantly cover the city I live in lately. I saw the Half Blood Prince and have lots and lots of thoughts on it so if anyone wants to discuss the movie please leave a review and let me know what you thought. For those of you who are boycotting, go ahead and continue. I won't try to change your mind. **

**Wonderful thanks to my beta whoopsydaisy!**


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Yeah, right. Like _I_ could be JKR. I don't even live in Scotland like she does.

Life For Rent

Chapter 27

"Don't forget your essays on the history and properties of simbelmyne are due on Monday. Mr. Feldman I'd like to see you in my office please."

Several students in Hermione's first year potions class 'oohed' at the young Hufflepuff who was blushing bright red at having been singled out by the professor. Hermione suppressed a smile and shooed the rest of the class out of the room. Isaac Feldman was an exceptionally bright and eager young student and over the last two weeks had proven that he was just as excitable in class as Hermione had been. He constantly waved his hand with every question and just like Hermione, sometimes blurted out the answer without being called upon. And similarly to Hermione, he didn't realise how disruptive his behaviour was.

At the last staff meeting Hermione was pleased to learn from the other professors that splitting the classes between all four houses was having an effect on camaraderie, particularly among the younger years. Hermione noticed that at the very least she was giving and taking points in a consistent rate among all four houses now. She also gave a detention to a group of fifth years who decided to use their last potions lesson to try to develop a kind of firewhiskey that does not cause a hangover rather than brew the blood replenishing potion they were supposed to be working on. The group consisted of a member from each house and they had all sat at lunch together that day still discussing their potions 'project' and behaving quite mirthfully.

Hermione settled behind her desk and waited patiently for Isaac Feldman to shuffle nervously in. He stood just in front of the doorway looking at Hermione uncertainly for a moment before stepping fully into the office. Hermione gave him a warm smile and gestured to the seat in front of her desk. He sat a little less reluctantly than he'd entered the office.

"Relax, Isaac, you are not in trouble." Hermione noticed that he did relax a little with the use of his first name. "Biscuit?"

Hermione opened a tartan tin of biscuits that she had sitting on her desk. Severus had given them to her just that morning saying they were from Minerva. Hermione chuckled a little at the memories of Professor McGonagall giving Hermione biscuits out of her similar tins when she was a student. Isaac continued to look at her curiously but he finally reached out and took a ginger newt.

"How are you liking Hogwarts so far? Are you making friends?"

Isaac swallowed his bite of cookie before answering. "It's really fascinating. I read Hogwarts a History before I got here so I am keeping track of all the stuff in the book that I am seeing here."

"I read that book before I came here as well. I am a Muggle born so I was a little worried that all the other kids would be ahead of me so I read a lot about the wizarding world the summer before my first year." Hermione said warming up to the boy even more. He was definitely a lot like her and she noticed how he pointedly did not answer her question friends. Hermione already noticed that he really didn't have any.

"I'm Muggle born too."

Hermione offered him another biscuit and took one for herself. "I know. I imagine you feel like you have a lot to prove but trust me, just because a child is raised in a wizarding home does not mean he or she will be any better at magic than you."

"I just kind of thought that they would have had practise and learned more about wizarding history already." Isaac replied honestly.

Hermione stood up and walked over to a bookshelf behind her desk. She skimmed through the titles before finally settling on a title and pulling it off the shelf.

"Isaac I want to get right to the point. You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age. I read all my textbooks before school started and I practically memorised them. I devoured any literature on the magical world that I could find because I was afraid, just like you, that I would be behind all the kids with magical parents. In class I was eager to prove myself and answered every question even without being called on, just like you."

Isaac blushed a deep red and looked down at his hands.

"Don't be embarrassed, Isaac. I really wish that I had a professor sit down and tell me what I am about to tell you. It may have hurt my feelings at the time but it would have helped me a lot. I might have been able to make friends more easily and I would have spared myself a lot of teasing." Hermione stopped talking to measure his reaction to her words. He was still blushing slightly but he looked more sad than he did embarrassed.

"I don't understand." He said quietly.

"If you raise your hand every time I, or any other teacher asks a question, will any other kid feel like they need to participate in class?" Hermione asked him.

Isaac looked down at his hands for a moment before responding. "I guess not."

"That's right. All I am saying is that if you put yourself out there every time, the teacher is going to have to eventually start ignoring you so that the other kids have a chance to learn and participate. It is nothing personal but I do know from very personal experience that it will make you feel really horrible. I used to do the same thing and it wasn't until I was an adult that I was finally told why I was ignored as a student by some of the teachers I respected most. I want you to participate but I think it would be good for you if you toned it down a little bit. Raise your hand a little less often and give us teachers a chance to call on you. Do you think you can handle that?"

Isaac nodded but he was still looking at his hands. The remaining bit of his ginger newt had been pulverized to a fine powder and he was dragging his finger through the mess.

"I'm sorry. I just really wanted to show everyone that I am just as smart as them." He mumbled.

"There is absolutely nothing to be sorry about. You are smart, we all know that and I understand your fears. When it comes to the history of magic and spells, and potions ingredients you are probably ahead of the curve even amongst the Pureblooded students. But, there are some things you wouldn't know because you were raised in a Muggle home. Like how to ride a broom for instance. As I got older and spent more time in wizarding homes I discovered a whole world of things magical that I couldn't have learned from books. For example, it is tradition for a wizard to receive a watch when he comes of age, did you know that?"

Isaac shook his head.

"I want you to read this book." Hermione finally handed him the book she'd pulled from the shelf.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard?" Isaac asked flipping through the pages and looking up at her incredulously. "It looks like children's stories."

"They are." Hermione answered settling back into her chair. "Wizarding children and Muggle children are taught different tales that teach morality and values. There was a time in my life when that book taught me more about what it is like to live in the Wizarding world than any other book I could ever read. These are the things that Hogwarts can't teach you and you only learn if you live in a wizarding house hold."

"So, you are giving me this so I can learn more about what kids learn if they have magical parents?"

"Exactly."

"Thanks Professor."

"I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to discussing the book with you. Remember the things I told you, okay?"

Isaac picked up his bag and stuffed the book inside. "I will."

"Have a good weekend, Mr. Feldman."

*************************************************************************************

Severus casually flipped through Robert Glitch's student file. He remembered the Ravenclaw as a student but he didn't stand out in his memory. He didn't have any estranged parents or relatives or Death Eater associations. The Glitch's remained neutral through both wars and he didn't get in any kind of trouble as a student. Severus came to the conclusion that Glitch was just an arrogant toe rag with an attitude problem. Perhaps his years of mediocrity had finally caught up with him and he was bitter. Severus was no psychoanalyst and he was not about to look into the man's history any further. Minerva's letter in response to Severus' questions was not much more helpful. Severus picked up the letter and skimmed it one more time.

_Severus,_

_I hope all is going well for you. I must admit that I am settling into retirement quite successfully. The weather in Majorca is quite divine._

_As to your inquiries regarding Robert Glitch, I cannot tell you any more than I already have. I understand that he has a bit of childish streak in him and is a sub par teacher but he was the only applicant I had for the position. Perhaps you will find better luck and a more suitable replacement will come along. Try not to be too hard on any potential teachers though, Severus, we all know that you are the best and not every teacher will meet every one of your standards. In the meantime you will have to deal with Glitch, who forgive my pun, is aptly named but if he is handled correctly could be made to go away. So sack him, or make him quit, you choose. _

_Please give one of the enclosed tins of biscuits to Hermione and keep one for yourself. I also enclosed an adorable little shirt for Caris that I found here on the island. Good luck Severus, and please don't bother me again unless it is a true emergency or unrelated to the school. If I get bored of my retirement you will be the first to know, and only then may you pester me with more Hogwarts issues._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva_

Severus put down the letter and picked up the little shirt for Caris. In the front in bright green letters were the words, 'My mummy is a witch' and on the back it said 'and my daddy is a wizard.' Severus shook his head at it and set it down vowing to never put it on his daughter. Heaving a great sigh Severus cleared his desk and picked up some parchment and a quill. It was time to go observe Glitch's teaching. Severus chose to observe the seventh year DADA class first since it was the most specialised and advanced. If Glitch wasn't up to standard with the older students than that is all Severus would need to send him packing. He was willing to take over the classes himself for awhile if he had to but he really didn't want to terminate a teacher his first year. He was afraid it would instil fear in the staff and that was opposite of what he was trying to achieve.

Severus arrived in the classroom approximately two minutes after class should have began but when he entered the room several students were engaged in a lively conversation and Glitch was nowhere to be seen. Severus settled into the back of the classroom unnoticed and made a note of Glitch's tardiness. Three minutes later Glitch finally arrived in the classroom tousle haired as if he had just woken up from a nap.

Glitch scanned the classroom smiling at the students like Gilderoy sodding Lockhart before noticing Severus in the back recesses of the room. His smile faltered slightly but he quickly recovered and raised his hands to shush the class. Severus made unnecessarily big show of putting his quill to paper and taking more notes. When he looked up again Glitch's smile had slid completely from his face.

"Today we are going to practise the Avifors spell that is used to defeat dugbogs. In order to cast the spell you need to first levitate the dugbog and while it is in the air cast Avifors. The spell is most easily done in a team but your goal should be to defeat a dugbog on your own."

Severus made a few more notes on his parchment. Dugbogs were on the syllabus for fifth year OWL exams which disappointed Severus greatly.

"I have some stuffed dugbogs that we will practise on. Get into your teams and each of you take a stuffed dugbog out of that box." The class split up and with more noise than was necessary each team retrieved a fake animal from the box. Glitch went around the room animating each one. For the next half hour chaos ensued in the room. None of the students were able to successfully cast the Avifors spell and several black birds were feebly flapping around the room.

One group of students had abandoned the Avifors project altogether and were sending bat bogey hexes at each other. Glitch was paying no attention to them and was busy trying to show a couple of Ravenclaw girls the proper wand movements for Avifors. One of the students sending hexes at his friends quickly cast a shield charm to protect himself from a spell coming in his direction. The bogey hex bounced off of his shield and hit Glitch right in the face. The girl that he was helping shrieked in disgust and tripped over a dugbog trying to get away from the great flapping bogeys on his face. By then most of the students were either laughing or trying to get away from Glitch who was flailing about the room trying to locate the wand he dropped when the spell hit him. The room was in absolute chaos.

Severus stood from his chair in the back of the room. "QUIET!"

The class silenced immediately as Severus went about the room vanishing the dugbogs. Everyone returned to their seats instantly and was quiet. Severus restored the classroom whilst ignoring Glitch who was still trying to get the bat bogeys off his face.

"Detention, all of you, with me tomorrow morning at six. Class is dismissed." Severus said and the class didn't need told twice. Once the room was cleared Severus picked up Glitch's wand and used it to perform the counter curse. Glitch leaned against the nearest table taking great breaths.

"I want to see you in my office. Now." Severus turned and left the classroom without another word. He could hear Glitch walking behind him struggling to keep with his brisk pace. Once they arrived in his office Severus shut the door and rounded on Glitch.

"What was that? You were teaching NEWT students an OWL level lesson, you were late, and you had absolutely no control over your class. You didn't even demonstrate the spell before you assigned it. How am I as Headmaster of this school, supposed to accept that?"

Glitch backed up against the door his mouth working soundlessly as he attempted to retort. Severus turned his back on Glitch.

"Get out of my office. I will deal with you later."

*************************************************************************************

"Rough day?" Hermione asked Severus when he finally arrived at the Head Table for dinner.

Severus poured himself a cup of tea and took a drink before answering. "In a manner of speaking. I have suffered through worse days."

Hermione rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "Of course you have."

Severus looked at his wife and felt instantly warmed by the light he saw dancing in her eyes. He reached under the table and squeezed her leg. "I will tell you what I can later. After dinner I have to meet with Filius and I am overseeing detention at six tomorrow morning with the seventh year Defence class."

"Oh, okay. Will you still be able to go with me to visit Harry and Ginny tomorrow afternoon? They are looking forward to seeing Caris, and I can't wait to see how much James and Lily have grown." Hermione said hoping he wouldn't cancel.

"Certainly, it will be nice to get out of the castle for a few hours even if it is to spend the afternoon at the Potter's." Severus smirked at her.

"Where's Glitch?" Hermione asked suddenly as if she just realised the seat next to her was unoccupied.

"Probably licking his wounds. I will explain later. What are you going to do this evening?"

"I think I will visit with Hagrid. It's been awhile and he loves Caris."

The half-giant in question was laughing heartily at a story Madam Hooch was telling him at the very end of the table.

"Alright, but be careful."

"Stop it Severus. He won't crush her or anything, and I will make sure he doesn't accidentally feed her to something either." Hermione laughed at his wide eyed look. He was such a strong man but when it came to Caris he turned into a complete jellyfish.

*************************************************************************************

The next day Severus kept the seventh years in detention for two hours. He spent the whole time lecturing them on their responsibilities on seventh years and going over their past curriculum in Defence with them. It wasn't much of a detention because it was just as informative for him as it was for them but he needed to make a decision about Glitch and the student's opinions were very relevant. Hermione insisted that Severus take it easy on Glitch because the students hadn't had a decent teacher in that subject to date and that they realistically couldn't know much. Flitwick on the other hand, agreed with Severus and was eager to rid the school of the man.

While Severus was coordinating the detention and Caris was asleep Hermione decided to grade some homework so that she could relax the rest of the weekend. When she was finished she was cheerfully walking through the dungeon hallways when she heard muffled laughter coming from inside a broom closet. She could tell from the voices that it was a boy and girl in there and afraid of what she might see she used her wand to open the door. She was about to immediately assign detentions to the cavorting students until she saw that one of them was not. Glitch was standing smugly behind a sixth year Slytherin who was straightening her blouse and looking at Hermione with a frightened expression.

"Detention Ms. Johnson and I will have to report this to the Headmaster. Go back to your common room." Hermione snapped at the girl who ran down the hallway without looking back.

Glitch leaned casually against the doorframe of the broom closet raised an eyebrow at Hermione.

"You are positively vile." She sneered. "How could you fraternise with a student?"

"What's the matter? Are you jealous? Besides, like you have room to talk." Glitch's eyes glinted malevolently as he took a step toward Hermione.

"I am most certainly not jealous, nor am I engaging in inappropriate behaviour with a student!" Hermione cried indignantly.

"Please, _Snape, _you're with the Headmaster. Like that didn't happen when you were still in school." Glitch took another step toward Hermione.

Hermione held her ground but she was beginning to feel frightened. "It most certainly did not happen when I was a student and how dare you question my or Severus' integrity?"

Glitch took the final step that brought him directly in front of Hermione. He reached out and stroked a finger down her cheek. His eyes glinted dangerously and he leaned in close speaking in a low and seductive voice. "You sound defensive, Hermione. Are _you_ questioning your integrity?"

Hermione flinched and took a shaky step backward but Glitch matched her and took another step forward. Hermione reached for her wand but before she could pull it out of her pocket to hex Glitch, he was blasted back into the broom closet. Hermione whipped around to see Severus standing with his wand raised his black eyes burning with fury.

"Severus!" Hermione took a few steps toward him but he raised a hand to stop her. With wand still raised he approached the broom closet where a dazed Glitch was struggling to his feet.

"You are no longer employed at this school. I will escort you off the grounds myself and the house-elves will gather your belongings and bring them to you." Severus kept his wand trained on Glitch.

Glitch glared defiantly at Severus. "On what grounds? I didn't do anything to her." He said pointing at Hermione.

"On what grounds? How about incompetence, inability to control your classroom, insubordination, and engaging in illicit behaviour with a minor student." Severus spat barely controlling his temper.

"It was consensual." Glitch shot back but even in his pea sized mind he knew it sounded childish and was the wrong thing to say.

"We'll leave that for her parents to determine. Let's go." Severus directed Glitch to walk in front of him but he turned to look at Hermione. "You go wait in our rooms. I will be there in fifteen minutes."

Hermione nodded and did as she was told. She hadn't seen Severus so furious in a very long time. She wondered how much of her short conversation with Glitch he'd heard but if she had to guess she would say most of it. Nevertheless she made her way slowly up to their private quarters. She checked on Caris who was still sleeping peacefully and then returned to the living room. Hermione paced restlessly until Severus returned.

"Severus!" Hermione cried again when he stepped into the room. Severus walked up to Hermione and wrapped her in his arms.

"All you alright, love?" He asked as he buried his face in her hair.

Hermione pulled him tighter against her and spoke into his chest. "I'm fine. I was worried about you. I haven't seen you so angry in ages."

"I wasn't angry with you. I heard the whole conversation as I was coming down the hallway. I saw Ms. Johnson, as well. Is she the student he was with?"

Hermione pulled away and took both of his hands in hers. "Yes. What are you going to do about that?"

Severus pulled her back into his arms, not ready to let go. "I don't know, I wasn't focusing on her. I used Legilimency on Glitch and I know what he was thinking. If I hadn't intervened when I did he would have tried to… he wanted to hurt you."

Hermione tensed at what Severus wasn't saying. "I can protect myself, Severus."

Severus pushed her away so that he could look at her. "I know you can, Hermione. But it's my job to protect you, so please let me do it."

Hermione stood up on her toes to kiss her husband deeply. "Agreed. Well, that solves one problem."

"Oh, and what is that?"

"You don't have to figure out what to do about Glitch anymore. Now you just have to figure out how to replace him." Hermione reluctantly broke away from her husband and walked toward Caris' bedroom to get their daughter who had finally awoken. Severus went into the kitchen to quickly make a bottle for his crying child.

"I already have an idea on a suitable replacement." Severus replied as Hermione reached a hand out for the bottle. "No let me, Hermione."

Hermione sighed and passed Caris over to her father. "Fine, but you have to let me take care of her sometime."

Severus raised an eyebrow at his wife but he smiled. "You do take care of her and you are wonderful at it. Besides don't you have to, you know… express."

Hermione laughed jovially at his comment. She realised that pumping milk was not the most glamorous thing she could do with her breasts but he still talked about it as if it was a very taboo thing. But he always watched with fascination whenever she did it in front of him. At first she was horribly embarrassed when he saw her doing it, but that soon went away. The last time he saw her pumping he actually conjectured on whether breast milk would make a useful potion ingredient.

"Actually I do so you're lucky this time. Who did you have in mind for a suitable replacement?" Hermione asked. "And please don't say yourself; you are busy enough as it is."

"It might have to be me for awhile until I do have a replacement. I will take the fifth through seventh years at least and try to delegate the other classes among the rest of you. I discussed my idea with Filius last night and he was very agreeable." Severus glanced at Hermione quickly. She had yanked off her top and was heading to the other room to express more milk for Caris. She really missed breast feeding and her chest actually tingled as she watched Severus feed their daughter. But the joy Severus got out of being able to feed Caris himself made up for it.

"Are you ever going to tell me who this person you would like to hire is?" Hermione called from their bedroom.

"Not until I am sure it will work out. Caris is falling asleep again already. Is she feeling alright?" Severus laid Caris back into her crib and felt her forehead. She didn't really feel warm but she usually didn't sleep so late in the mornings.

"She didn't sleep much last night."

"Really? Why didn't you wake me?" Severus approached Hermione and watched as she finished pumping and sent the bottles into the kitchen with a wave of her wand.

"You need your sleep too. Trust me; I'm exhausted so if you want to stay up with her tonight you are more than welcome." Hermione lay down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. "Come here, Severus. We have some time before we have to leave for the Potter's."

Severus shrugged out of his shirt as well and eagerly hopped on the bed with her. They hadn't made love since the school year started and seeing her in bed like that reminded him of how much he missed the more carnal side of their relationship. He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply, pressing the length of his body against hers. "I've missed you."

Hermione pushed him over and quickly undid his pants. "Me too, Severus, and I want you now. Please."

Severus was eager to oblige and he had them both naked in an instant. Hermione's eyes were swimming with desire for him and she actually bit his shoulder when he bent down to suckle one of her breasts. Severus felt himself grow even harder and slid a hand down her stomach and finally into the apex of her legs. She was damp and hot and ready.

"Take me now, Severus." Hermione begged.

"Yes, my vixen." Severus murmured as he thrust himself into her. They both bit back cries of pleasure as he buried himself fully. It was only a moment before they reached the kind of steady rhythm that only practised couples are able to do. Hermione dug her nails into Severus' back as she felt her body tense for release and once again she bit back her cries of pleasure. Severus too kept himself quiet but Hermione could see the lust in his eyes and she could feel more than hear the low rumble that escaped his throat as he released inside of her.

Severus collapsed next to Hermione and pulled her close, savouring the moment while it lasted. "That was wonderful, my love, but next time lets take the time to put up a silencing charm. I enjoy when you are more vocal."

"You got it. So, who are you going to ask to take the Defence position?"

"Not now, Hermione, we just made love." Just then Caris could be heard crying from her crib and Severus jumped up. " I'll get her! You get ready to go to the Potter's"

Hermione harrumphed at Caris' timing. She was grateful they didn't wake her up with their lovemaking but she was dying to know who Severus wanted to hire and couldn't fathom why he was being so secretive about it. If only her sweet little daughter would have waited just a few more minutes… she could've got the answer out of him.

"Yeah, yeah…"

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: So, this chapter has a little more 'day in the life of Severus and Hermione' for you. Plus a little more of that nuisance Glitch. It seems like you can never have a peaceful year at Hogwarts.**

**Thanks to whoopsydaisy beta extraordinaire! You should check her story Uncharmable if you like more Severus!**

**Please review! I know I have been making a few more mistakes than usual lately and I apologise for that but I have been crunched for time lately although it is getting better and I am not quite as busy I was. I don't need your reviews to keep writing but they really do make my world go round, I appreciate your opinions, advice, and the pointing out of the occasional error or two. And of course they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!**


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: No, still no.

Life For Rent

Chapter 28

"That shirt is absolutely adorable, Hermione! Where did you get it?" Ginny gushed as Hermione pulled Caris' little sweater off her when she and Severus arrived at the Potter's house.

"Minerva McGonagall sent it yesterday. I thought it was so cute but Severus thinks it is—"

"Absolutely grotesque." Severus interjected with a smile as he took Caris' sweater from Hermione and put on the coat rack with his own jacket.

Ginny lifted Caris up and turned her around so she could 'And My Daddy is a Wizard' on the back. "It's not grotesque, it's cute! Although, it is clear that you wouldn't pick it. And I know you wouldn't pick something like this Hermione."

"I just put it on her to annoy Severus, that's all." Hermione replied. "Where are Harry and the twins?"

"They are in the dining room. Lunch is ready and I'm starving, so let's go."

After a lovely lunch of Kreacher's best chicken cacciatore the groups gathered in the family converted playroom. Severus held Caris in his lap as he watched Ginny, Harry, and Hermione have the twins walk between them. They were sitting in a triangle and Lily and James would take it in turns to walk a few stumbling steps from adult to adult and crash with glee into their waiting arms. Despite his better instincts, Severus found himself enjoying the scene immensely and looking forward to the moment when it would be him and Hermione helping a joyful Caris toddle between them. But, the moment passed just as quickly as Severus pondered the real motive behind keeping the lunch appointment despite all his work at Hogwarts. "Harry," Severus said as Lily and James went careening into each other and landed in a heap on the floor. "How is work going?"

"Oh no, sounds like talk is going to start getting serious. Maybe we should put these guys down for a nap before we get started." Harry replied cheerfully lifting Lily off the floor and tossing her lightly in the air. She squealed delightedly as Harry did it again before walking out of the room with Ginny chastising him as she followed with James.

"You'll never get her to sleep if you keep playing like that."

Harry's retort was muffled, but Ginny's laughter could be heard clearly as it rang down the stairs. Hermione moved over to the couch and sat next down to her husband.

"They are so happy together." Hermione said as she took Caris from Severus. Severus leaned over to kiss Hermione softly.

"We are too."

Hermione blushed at his admission. After all the time they had spent together Hermione still felt butterflies every time Severus surprised her with a romantic sentiment.

"Why are you so interested in how Harry's work is going all of a sudden?" Hermione asked before turning toward him in surprise, the proverbial light bulb clicking on her head. "Unless, you want to talk to him about the Defence Against the Dark Arts post?"

Severus made a shushing gesture as Hermione's voice had risen a little toward the end of her statement.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione said her voice rising again.

Severus pushed a finger to her lips effectively closing her mouth. "Because I didn't want you to get over excited just like you are doing right now. I wanted to approach the topic with Harry because it would mean a significant change for him and his family and I didn't want word to spread around that Harry was going to teach if he indeed decided not to accept the post."

"You're right. The media will devour this news if it gets out. I can see the headlines now 'Severus Snape shocks Wizarding World by his very public acceptance and approval of Harry Potter.' It would be chaos."

Severus' lips quirked in an almost imperceptible smile. "That is exactly what I was afraid of."

"Well, I won't say anything."

"Say anything about what?" Ginny asked as she returned to the room carrying a tea tray with Harry on her heels.

"The point, Mrs. Potter, of not saying anything is to not actually say anything." Severus deadpanned.

"Ah, there's Severus Snape. I was wondering where he went." Ginny replied unaffected by his barb.

Severus scowled at Harry who was laughing quietly at his wife's joke.

"What is it you wanted to talk about, Severus?" Harry asked.

"I was just wondering how work was going for you. I hear that you are moving up quickly in the Auror department."

"Yeah, it's going great. Although, since the kids have come along I wish the hours were a bit steadier. It makes it difficult for Ginny. There is a strong likelihood that once training season starts for the Harpies there will be days at a time where we will only see each other in passing." Harry replied honestly.

Severus was pleased to hear his answer. If he could convince Potter to take the post at the school it would stabilize his schedule so that Ginny could return to work as well. Based on the bitter look in Ginny's eyes Severus would have to assume that she would rather go to work _and_ see her husband every day.

"That is unfortunate. You must forgive me but I assumed that Mrs. Potter would not be returning to work after the twins were born." Severus looked over at Hermione who smiled at him and nodded encouragingly.

Ginny sighed deeply. "I would like to go back but you're right. With the babies here now I won't be able to travel with the team anymore just in case Harry gets called in to work. It's alright though. We had planned for this even if I do miss it sometimes. Why the sudden curiosity, Severus?"

"I have a proposal for you, Potter. Unfortunately, I had to let one of my professors go. My Defence professor to be exact and I wanted to offer the position to you." Severus refilled his glass and sat down beside Hermione who was still perched on the couch listening intently. Hermione smiled at Ginny whose face brightened considerably. Harry, however, was staring at his glass pensively.

"McGonagall offered me the post a couple of years ago, you know." Harry said.

Severus frowned. "I did not know."

"Why are you asking me now? Don't you have someone in that position already?"

"Merlin, Potter. Must you always seek some sort of verbal validation from me? Obviously I am asking you because I _don't_ have the position filled suitably. If you are not interested I have another candidate in mind that will not need mollycoddling or my constant praise."

"Severus…" Hermione said quietly placing a hand on his knee.

Severus stood up quickly again and began pacing the room.

"Potter, like I said before I did not know that Minerva asked you already. I understand giving up your position in the Auror department would require a great personal sacrifice but I do believe that you would be suitable for the post. Your knowledge of defence is adequate and you are quite," Severus cleared his throat painfully, "likeable."

"Ginny and I will have to discuss this. How soon do you need an answer?" Harry asked.

"As soon as possible seeing as how school is already in session." Severus replied trying to keep the sarcastic bite in his tone down to a minimum.

Hermione stood up and passed the sleeping baby into Severus' arms and went over to Harry and leaned her head close so she could speak quietly. "Harry, you know Severus isn't the type to offer praise so stop asking for it. The fact that he is asking you to do this is the highest praise he could possibly offer. I wish you would stop acting like you want Severus to adopt you sometimes and be a man."

Harry blushed slightly and scowled at Hermione.

"We'll owl you with you our answer tonight." Harry said.

"Thank you." Hermione replied. "I think Severus and I will be going now so you two can talk."

*************************************************************************************

"Why do you always have to be so sarcastic around Harry?" Hermione demanded of Severus as soon as they reached Hogwarts.

"Because despite how much he's grown he's still a snivelling little boy who needs a parent's approval and I don't want to be the one to give it to him all the time." Severus replied. "It's awkward enough having him in my life like he is, but it is doubly awkward being married to his best friend. I don't feel like I need to parent you or even Ginny, but with him, it feels that way sometimes."

"I see. Were you just bluffing when you said that you had someone else in mind?"

Severus laid down on the floor with Caris and a few toys and started to play. "Lucius."

"Lucius?" Hermione replied incredulously joining her small family on the floor. "Do you really think the school governor's would appreciate that choice?"

"No, hence the reason I asked Potter instead." Severus dangled a colourful rattle over Caris' head and smiled down at her as she tried to bat it with her hands. "Although, I do believe that Lucius' knowledge is extensive and he would be quite a sufficient professor."

"He probably would be but the students would probably be scared of him. I think Harry would do a wonderful job. Would you require that they live in the castle? I don't see Ginny wanting to move the family in here."

"I am sure arrangements can be made. I do not like to admit it, but we are truly at his mercy right now. I cannot teach the class on top of my other duties and it would be unfair to ask the other professors to cover it indefinitely. I saw Ginny's face when I offered the job. I think she would be happier with Harry as a professor over an Auror right now." Severus conjectured.

Hermione reached out for Severus' hand. "I think you're right. In the past she has complained about how dangerous it is and how he has to leave often, sometimes for days at a time."

"Excuse me, Sir."

Severus started at the sound of Winky's voice from the doorway.

"Sir, you have a letter." Winky stretched out a hand and offered Severus the envelope. He leapt up and took it thanking the elf and sending her away again.

"It's from Potter." He said.

"That was fast."

"It says he will accept the post and begin in two weeks."

"That's great, Severus! I am so excited!"

"I hope I am not making a mistake here. I don't want any unnecessary publicity in the school."

*************************************************************************************

Severus may have not wanted any unnecessary publicity but that is what he got the next morning, albeit for a different reason. He went down to breakfast without Hermione who was having a bit of a lie-in with Caris. He took the Sunday Prophet from the usual owl that delivered it and stopped short as soon as he unrolled it and looked at the first page. His eyes widened with horror and anger as he read the headline. Glancing around him he could see the other professors and the handful of students who received the Prophet looking at him curiously.

"_A Shaky Start for Severus Snape?" _

_By, Rita Skeeter_

_Severus Snape, Ex Death-Eater and murderer of Albus Dumbledore has returned to his post as Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But will this time be any different than the last time he worked there? Only two weeks into the year he is already picking his favourite professors and sacking those he does not like. It can only be a matter of time before he begins to discriminate against the students…._

The article went on to list his many indiscretions as a Death Eater and included a very inaccurate depiction of Glitch's termination. Obviously Glitch had run straight to Rita to give her the scoop and since Severus had rejected her on more than one occasion he was not surprised to see the story. Severus called an emergency staff meeting and excused himself from the room. He stormed into his office feeling embarrassed and angry because of the article. He owled Harry requesting his presence at the meeting as well for it would be a good time to formally announce him as Glitch's replacement.

No sooner than Severus sent an elf to Harry's house requesting presence Hermione and Flitwick both came barging into his office.

"Severus, you mustn't pay this article any mind." Filius said immediately.

Hermione approached his desk and skimmed the article quickly her face reddening with anger the whole time. Rita Skeeter even had the nerve to call Hermione a harlot and accused her of sleeping with the professor during her school years _and_ of being a secret Voldemort supporter. It was terrible and she could only imagine the pile of letters the school elves were intercepting from delivery owls as they spoke.

Hermione threw the paper down on his desk again and sat down angrily in one of the chairs in front of it. "They will not get away with this. I will not have it."

"Now, Hermione, calm down. It would not be a good idea to begin plotting any sort of revenge." Flitwick said calmly patting her on the arm.

"No, she's right. At least Glitch won't be able to get away with this. I will explain more at the staff meeting but Glitch wasn't terminated just for being inadequate. He was engaging in illicit behaviour with a sixth year student." Severus said as he scribbled quickly on a piece of parchment.

Filius gasped in surprise. "That is why you terminated him before an official meeting."

"Yes, I regret having to exercise that power so early in the year but it was necessary." Severus filled Flitwick in on the details of Glitch's conversation with Hermione while they waited for the rest of the staff to arrive. Severus also told him about Harry's acceptance of the DADA position and Filius practically bounced out of his seat with glee at the news. Within the hour the remaining staff and Harry had arrived in Severus' office ready for the meeting.

For what felt like the millionth time that weekend Severus retold the story about Glitch and his subsequent visit with Harry, except this time Hermione and Filius helped tell the tale. The staff agreed to act as if the article was never written in the hopes that it would help diffuse the gossip more quickly. They also agreed that Glitch deserved what he got and would be willing to stand for Severus in case the school governor's felt action needed to be taken.

"Professor Vector, since you are the head of Slytherin house I am going to have you make the decision on what should be done about your student. I do not think she should be expelled but I will leave that up to you. However, I do believe her parents should be notified so they may press charges against Glitch if they so choose. That is all I have for now. Potter, if you would please stay for a few minutes, I would like to have a few words with you." Severus addressed the new head of Slytherin house since Slughorn's departure.

Harry settled himself in a chair in front of Severus' desk and waited for the room to clear. Dumbledore was smiling and twinkling at Harry from his place on the wall behind Severus' desk. Severus vowed to leave the two alone for awhile after he was finished talking with him.

"Would you like me to stay?" Hermione asked Severus as the last of the teachers left the office.

"No, love. Go have some breakfast. I will see you later." Severus placed a gentle kiss on his wife's lips before guiding her out the door. He was looking forward to being in her arms later. He always loved being with her but the longer they were together the more he actually needed her comfort when things were difficult. At first, it was difficult for him to accept that he felt that way. She was like an addiction and Severus Snape did not succumb to addictions, but with Hermione he had to make an exception.

Harry politely faced away from Hermione and Severus as they said their goodbyes and instead rolled his eyes and smiled at Albus. For good measure he made a fake gagging face when Severus kissed Hermione which earned Harry a stifled laugh from his old mentor.

"Potter, I want to thank you for accepting the position here first and foremost. You have done me and the rest of the staff a great favour." Severus said as he settled in his seat.

"I don't think Ginny would have given me much choice in the matter. I will miss being an Auror but returning to Hogwarts feels really great. I am honoured that you asked me."

Severus almost smiled at Harry's gracious response. At least he wasn't fishing for compliments again.

"I want to do something about Rita Skeeter. That woman has caused all of us more than enough grief with her slanderous writing. I fear that if we don't do something about her, Hermione will and I don't think she will stop at the unbreakable jar."

"You know about that?" Harry asked and then he shook his head. "Of course you do."

"The only thing I have on her is the fact that she is an unregistered Animagus. That will get her up to ninety days in jail and up to a thousand galleon fine. The problem is that those of us who already know she is unregistered, mainly being myself and Hermione, will be liable as well. You know as well as I do that if she were to appear in court the first thing she would do is incriminate the people that harboured her secret. However, I can give a tip to my fellow Aurors and perhaps she can be watched a little more closely."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "That will have to do for now."

"I will pay her a little visit, Severus. I think I can convince her to print a retraction."

"If you wish to do that, I will not object. I am going to go to Hermione and Caris now." Severus stood up and looked first at Dumbledore and then at Harry. "Take your time, Harry."

Harry gave Severus an appreciative looked and approached the portrait of Albus before Severus had even left the office.

*************************************************************************************

"I swear that woman is loathsome. If I manage to trap her in a jar again, I promise I will never let her out." Hermione was angrily pacing around their bedroom.

"I would not stop you. Harry has agreed to pay her a little visit and to request a retraction. Now stop pacing, I am already agitated and you are making it worse." Severus placed a firm hand on his wife's shoulders to stop her movement.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay? I know that article had to have made you pretty upset. I didn't like rereading all that rubbish about me and that part wasn't nearly as horrible as what—"

"Hermione don't. I am angry, I am embarrassed and a little worried about what the parents and governors are going to say but beyond that I don't wish to discuss it." Severus pulled Hermione into a hug. "At least not right now."

"That's fine, I understand." Hermione spread her hands wide and pressed her palms against the smooth planes of Severus' back. She could feel the tension knotted in his muscles.

"I knew you would." Severus said into her hair.

"You need to relax Severus. How about a bath and a massage?" She asked.

Severus wasn't about to decline some pampering from his wife and for the rest of the afternoon his troubles were forgotten.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: So this chapter isn't one of my favourites, it is kind of short and feels a bit blah to me, but I hope you all like it though, at least enough to move on to the next one!**

**Please, please review, it really helps! I love your suggestions and since I wasn't planning on continuing this story originally, all your comments really go a long way in shaping the outcome. And also, I now have 500 which is pretty freaking amazing and over 100 favourites and over 200 alerts. You are the best readers ever!**

**Thanks to my beta whoopsydaisy who came up with the alliteration for the article's title. **


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I'm Henry the 8th I am, I am

Life For Rent

Chapter 29

The two weeks leading up to Harry's first day as teacher were quite uneventful. Rita Skeeter had made a 'mysterious' retraction of her article and Adrian Green's parents were making a decision on whether to press charges against Robert Glitch. Adrian herself was banned from all Hogsmeade visits, Quidditch matches, and dances. She also placed Slytherin house in the negative for points until at least after the New Year. Severus, for one, was perfectly pleased that the year was finally slipping into the realm of uneventful. It was because of that he was looking forward to Potter's first day with trepidation. The last thing Severus wanted was a multitude of students slobbering up and down the hallways after the 'Boy Who Lived to Annoy Again and Again' spoiling his perceived calm.

Worse than the student body however, was the staff, including his blasted wife; even she couldn't stop her endless babble about how _fun_ it would be to have her best friend working in the same place. If Severus was the jealous type he would have seriously considered going to Ginny Potter and warning her about keeping a closer eye on her husband when he was in the presence of his wife, but no, he would wasn't a jealous man. But as Hermione and Harry sat at the breakfast table in the Great Hall with their heads bent close talking and laughing, with hundreds of hero-worshipping students looking on with adoration, Severus admitted to himself that maybe indeed he was the jealous type.

Severus scowled darkly and glared at Potter out of the corner of his eye as he made Hermione laugh particularly loudly.

"Oh, Severus, you need to hear this story!" Hermione said delightedly before turning back to Harry. Every other teacher within listening distance was glued to Harry's words as well but Severus only had eyes for Hermione. They were discussing the upcoming Halloween feast, which soured his mood even further. October was Severus' least favourite month despite all the festivities. It was the month his mother died, the month he joined the Death Eaters, and the month Lily was killed. The previous year he'd been so busy with the news of Hermione's pregnancy and being a newlywed that he'd been able to ignore all the bad things associated with the month. He'd never mentioned to Hermione how difficult he found the time because he thought he was getting over it, but perhaps he really wasn't.

Severus grunted noncommittally in response and returned to his breakfast, stabbing at a piece of scrambled egg unnecessarily hard. Severus could feel all the progress he made in getting to know, and even tolerate Harry Potter's presence slipping away. It was easy behind closed doors to behave cordially around him but seeing how everyone fawned over the boy reminded Severus too painfully of Harry and his father both when he hated them the most. He had to watch James take Lily away. He saw how they laughed and talked and shared secrets. Even if Lily and he never had that irresolvable fight she probably would have firmly placed Severus in the 'friend' category and gone to James Potter for everything else. With Hermione, he was afraid of the opposite. Now that Hermione was around him all the time again, Severus was afraid that she would go to Potter with all the stories and things friends shared. Worse, he was afraid she would talk to Harry more about her marriage and Severus couldn't bear that. As trite as it sounded, Severus wanted to be Hermione's only best friend. Sad, but there it was.

But as Severus continued to assault his eggs, the gravity of what was _really_ bothering him settled on him like a dead weight. Harry was a public _hero_, and Severus who fought, suffered, and sacrificed for years... was not. He was vindicated, he was tolerated, and thanks to Hermione he was even loved, but for all of his life he was the greasy git, bat of the dungeons, and Death-Eater. No matter how accepted he was in the Wizarding world there weren't any doe-eyed second years asking him for his autograph. For the first time in his life he recognized a lot of what his animosity towards the Potters was. Acerbic jealousy mixed with loathing made for a bitter pill to swallow but swallow it he did. Severus took one more side long glance at Hermione before dropping his fork on his plate and leaving the table, seemingly unnoticed by all.

*************************************************************************************

"Oh, where did Severus go?" Hermione asked about five minutes after her husband left the table.

Harry shrugged and stood up. "Headmaster is always busy around here, I saw him leave. Best get to class, let's go."

Hermione nodded and stood up as well. As she and Harry made their way through the throng of students mingling in the entrance hall, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what made Severus leave without so much as a word. She also found herself feeling a little guilty for being so wrapped up in her conversation with Harry and the other professors that she didn't even notice him leave.

"It's been a long time since I've been here but with the way everyone is staring at me it might as well have been yesterday since I was here last." Harry commented as students whispered, pointed, and stared. "I still really hate it, being stared at that is."

"Eh, you're famous Harry, what are you going to do?" Hermione quipped as she directed a few older female students toward the front doors. She knew they had Herbology that morning and were just loitering in the hallway to get a closer look at Harry. They bustled out the door at Hermione's directive giggling and blushing the whole way.

"I don't see anyone staring after _you_ pointing. Or Severus and everyone else who fought in the war."

"I have had my fair share of questions from students. The difference is that everyone in the Wizarding world knew you and your story before even you did. Seeing you in the flesh is like seeing their favourite story or comic book hero come to life. The rest of us are just sidekicks to them I wouldn't worry about it. It will die away after awhile, it always does. Just make sure you aren't too easy on them in class." Hermione pushed away from Harry to head down to the dungeons. "Au revoir, Harry! Good luck!"

Harry gave Hermione a small wave and made his way to his first class of the day, fourth years. He was really excited about teaching but extremely nervous as well. Severus had wasted no time in informing him that he was on probation just like every other new teacher, and that his job would be daunting to say the least because his students were so far behind. Severus made it clear in no uncertain terms that not only was Harry responsible for preparing the students for exams but he also had to catch them up on the curriculum they missed due to inadequate instruction. After all the time Harry spent getting to know his new employer he was still afraid of him. This time though, it was because he was afraid of disappointing him and based on Severus' cold behaviour at the breakfast table, Harry figured somehow he already had.

Harry scowled as he made his way up to the third floor DADA classroom causing a few students to shrink away from him as he passed. He paid them no attention as his thoughts focussed more heavily on his increasingly frustrating pseudo-relationship with the enigmatic Headmaster. Hermione's comments from a few weeks earlier regarding Harry's somewhat childish need for approval from Severus still weighted heavily on his mind. He honestly didn't realise that he was fishing for compliments so blatantly until his best friend pointed it out. When he'd complained to his wife about Hermione's uncalled for comments, Ginny responded that Hermione was right and he needed to just get into bed and forget about it for awhile. But one thing Harry Potter had never been able to do was to just 'forget about it' and move on. He was sick of the one step forward and two steps back approach he and Severus were taking in fully embracing a friendship. One thing Harry was in no doubt about anymore was that he wanted a relationship with Snape not to please Hermione, but for his own personal gain. It had taken over a year for him to see what his wife and friend saw all along, and for that Hermione deserved an apology.

When Harry entered the classroom he was relieved to see that Severus had not chosen to audit his first lesson as a teacher. The room was already full of students and the chatter died almost completely as he approached the desk. Harry was pleased to see the mixture of all four houses in the classes instead of the see of red and green, or blue and yellow that used to be the norm. Several of the students were looking at him curiously and it wasn't until he trained his face into a smile that he realised he must have still been scowling.

Taking a stack of parchments out of his leather satchel, Harry greeted the class warmly. He charmed the syllabi to distribute themselves among the students while he spoke.

"In front of you is a brand syllabus for your lessons this year. It is going to be a very busy year because not only are we going to be covering the Ministry required curriculum for exams we will also be catching up on what you may have missed over the years. Does anyone have any questions before we get started?"

Several hands shot up in the air. Harry recognised one of the students to be the little brother of Lavender Brown and he called on him.

"Mr. Brown?"

"What was it like facing You-Know-Who? Did you really break into Gringott's on the day of the Final Battle?" Hughie Brown's face was alight with eagerness as he peppered Harry with his questions. Harry, however, was not so pleased.

"In due time I will share little bits of my own personal experiences with you only as a means of emphasising an academic point, otherwise, I would appreciate it if you would keep your questions to the topic at hand. Does anyone have any questions regarding the assignments set forth on your syllabus?" Harry asked wishing for what felt like the millionth time that his fame did not precede him.

There were some murmured sounds of disappointment amongst the class but no student raised their hand with any more questions. Feeling satisfied that Harry had gained control of his classroom he launched into his first lesson, and by the end of it he had quite forgotten his sour mood from before.

*************************************************************************************

"I missed you at lunch today." Hermione said to Severus in his office just before leaning into kiss him.

Severus returned the kiss half-heartedly and sat down in his chair behind the desk.

"I have been busy and if you are done for the day you should attend to Caris." Severus said curtly.

Hermione walked behind Severus and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on the top of his head. "What's the matter, love?"

Despite himself, Severus felt his body relax and lean into Hermione's touch. "Nothing, Hermione. I'm fine, but I do have an appointment with Potter so if you don't mind going to our daughter, I'll see you at dinner."

"Actually, I was going to meet with Harry and Ginny at the Three Broomsticks for dinner. If you don't mind that is. You're more than welcome to join us. I plan on taking Caris, and Ginny is bringing the twins." Hermione said hopefully. Getting Severus to have dinner with the Potters in one of their homes was hard enough. She highly doubted he would attend if they were in public. Hermione wished sometimes that Severus' relationship with her friend wasn't so difficult.

Severus appeared to be seriously considering her request for a moment but in actuality he was thinking of the most polite way to turn him down. At the moment, all manner of responses besides pleasant ones were flitting through his brain. "I think I will have to pass. I have work I can do here and you can leave Caris if you like, take some time for yourself."

A knock at the door made Hermione jump from her resting place on Severus' shoulders before she could express her disappointment at Severus' refusal.

"Oh, well okay, I'll take Caris with me though. I really don't mind. I'll see you later then." Hermione leaned over and kissed Severus' cheek. It was cold and his face was stony. "I love you." She whispered near his ear and then bent to walk away. Before she could get far though, Severus shot out a hand and gripped her arm, stopping her.

"I love you, too." He'd spent the whole day regressing in his progress with his self-esteem and accepting Harry, but he wasn't fool enough to screw things up with Hermione too.

Hermione smiled warmly at him before letting Harry in.

"Hey Hermione!" Harry greeted, "We still on for dinner tonight?"

"You bet. I can't wait to see Ginny. I'll see you in a little while, okay?" Hermione gave Harry a quick hug before retreating out the door to collect her daughter.

"Come in, Potter, and sit down. I don't have all afternoon and apparently you don't either." Severus snapped from his chair.

Harry quickly settled himself into his seat, feeling very much like the agitated fifth year that faced the terrifying potion's master for Occlumency lessons. Something in Severus' eyes told Harry that any shaky foundation of cordiality they had established between them was gone. Summoning his courage Harry met Severus' eyes.

"You wanted to see me," and then almost as an afterthought, "Sir."

Severus found himself looking overlong into Harry's eyes. Memories of Lily that were buried in the deepest recesses of his mind swam through his mind as he stared into the green orbs. Severus wistfully longed for the carefree summers the pair had spent in the park near Spinner's End. The reason he'd called Harry to his office completely slipped his mind. Severus mentally shook himself, first he was feeling jealous of Potter and then he was thinking about Lily just as he'd used to before Hermione re-entered his life. _What is going on with me? I feel as if I haven't changed or learned a thing over the years, _he thought bitterly.

"How was your first day of classes? Were you able to actually teach or did you spend the day regaling the student body with war hero stories?"

A soft but disappointed snort issued from the portrait of Albus behind Severus' chair. Phineas Nigellus made chuckling sound that wasn't lost on either Severus or Harry. Severus glanced sharply at the portrait. He hadn't spoken to the corpulent wizard his whole time back, he wondered what it was about Potter's presence that finally made him vocal, albeit slightly.

The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up on end as defences rose. Harry did not appreciate Severus' tone and he especially did not like the sensation that he was backsliding even further into his years as a student.

"I did not _regale _them, and I believe that I maintained good order of my classes. You will see for yourself when you undoubtedly supervise my lessons." Harry retorted.

"Indeed I will. You do understand that whatever friendship, as paltry as it may seem, that was developing between us is irrelevant when you are in my office as a member of my staff?"

Harry rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, both gestures that were unforgivably similar to one's his father made on a regular basis. "Yes, Headmaster."

"You realise I just released a teacher for insubordination. Do not delude yourself into thinking I would not do the same to you."

"What did I do, Severus? I have a good day visiting with my best friend and teaching my favourite subject, I have an enjoyable dinner to look forward to with my family and the same friend, and now you are accusing me of insubordination? You always manage to make it rain when the sun's out. Forgive me for being insubordinate, but whatever it is that is making you angry with me is probably not my fault." Harry replied.

Each time Harry mentioned his friendship with Hermione, Severus tensed more and more. Once again, Potter was calling Severus out on his behaviour. Harry was right, the things that Severus was upset about were really not the boy's fault; he was just too powerful of a reminder.

"No, it's not." Severus admitted. "Forgive me, I spoke out of turn."

"Is everything alright, sir?" Harry asked immediately softening. It would make sense that the Headmaster would take out his bad mood on Harry. Old habits die hard after all.

"If something was the matter, I assure you, I would not seek counsel from you." Severus stood up from his chair, prepared to physically throw Potter from his office. He could sense Harry was fishing for another bond strengthening heart to heart talk and Severus was in no mood.

"You could always go to Hermione. She's great to talk to about some things, even better than Ginny because, I don't know what it is but, I guess her soul just runs deep and it's like she understands on a different level. You know, every year about this time I get a little depressed because it is close to the anniversary of my parents' deaths. But I guess you probably already knew that, about Hermione I mean." Harry trailed off quietly, realising he may have said too much.

_Bulls-eye, _Severus thought, _you just hit two of my weakest spots in one go, Lily, and you're wonderful friendship with my wife that is still making me jealous. _

"Get out of my office, Potter." Severus said without emotion.

Harry stood quickly and made his way for the door. "Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?"

"Out."

"I'll take that as a no." Harry quipped before Severus slammed the door in his face. Resolved to get to the bottom of Severus' mood before it had an effect on Harry's teaching evaluation he set off to have dinner with Hermione and Ginny.

*********************************************************************************

"What's the matter with your husband, Hermione?" Harry asked in between large bites of fish and chips.

Hermione set down her glass of butterbeer and rounded on Harry. "Nothing."

"Hmph. You sound just like him." Harry retorted. Ginny continued eating her grilled chicken but looked on with interest. Arguments between Harry and Hermione were always fun.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione demanded. "Did you ask him if something was wrong?"

Hermione wasn't expecting to feel as annoyed as she did at the possibility that Harry might have asked Severus what was bothering him. She'd of course asked him the same thing and gotten 'nothing' as a reply as well and it would have bothered her considerably if Severus opened up to Harry but not to her.

"I did in a roundabout sort of way. He was treating me like a first year idiot. Something's bothering him and I wasn't about to let him take it out on me."

"Oh, well I suppose something is bothering him but we haven't talked about it. I'm sure it really is nothing to do with you though." Hermione replied.

Ginny sighed deeply and took a long drink of her butterbeer. Apparently they weren't going to have a fun argument.

"So, I'm going to start working again next week--," Ginny began but Harry cut her off.

"You know Hermione, you've changed a lot."

Ginny smiled at the interruption thinking that maybe there was going to be an argument after all.

"I repeat, what's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked feeling offended.

"Since you got married, you have shared less and less with me. I mean we're best friends and while I see you all the time and talk to you about stuff, since you married Severus it feels like there is a half of you that I don't know anymore." Harry replied trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"You know what?" Ginny said, "I think these two need new nappies. I will be right back."

Harry acknowledged Ginny briefly before she politely excused herself to go change diapers. This probably would be an argument, but the type that required privacy. Ginny knew what was bothering Harry and it was about time he said something about it to Hermione.

"Well, I felt the same way when you married Ginny. I was afraid that you would have all these secrets from me that you would share with Ginny instead. I was right in a way but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I was jealous for awhile but it went away." Hermione replied sadly.

"That's just it. Ginny isn't a private person like Severus is. If something is bothering her she'll tell you if I don't. You even know most of the details of our sex life and everything because of Ginny's openness. It's not like that with you."

Hermione grinned. "You want to know the details of my sex life?"

"Urgh, no! I just, I don't really know how to put this. I worry about you, that you aren't as happy as you could be. I just don't understand how someone I thought I knew so well could be happy with a man like Severus." Harry said.

Hermione's eyebrows narrowed considerably as she glared at Harry. It sounded like Harry was insulting her husband and her judgment for choosing to be with him. Hermione hoped Ginny would return soon because it looked as if she was itching to see a fight and she was about to get one.

"Are you insinuating that Severus is abusing me somehow and I am keeping his secret? Seriously, Harry, we are best friends but look back over the years really closely and think hard about who actually maintained that friendship. When Ron was around and mad at me you didn't hesitate to take his side about lots of things, like when I knew Crookshanks didn't kill Scabbers, or about the Firebolt. During the Triwizard Tournament you stopped spending so much time with me when your fight with Ron was over and you hardly paid any attention to me at all during the year we were searching for Horcruxes, although I don't begrudge you that." Hermione took a deep breath and glared at Harry.

"You especially didn't support me the whole time I was defending Severus when we were in school. You didn't even bother to try to get to really know me until after I got back from Australia and Ron had run off to play Quidditch. Admit it Harry, I was a convenient brain and I was unwaveringly loyal to you. Without that we would have drifted apart long ago. I didn't have any other friends so I latched on to you. Now you are just seeing what it is like for me to have a new best friend. But I always saw that with you. You always had Ron and you were part time. Even if I knew what was bothering Severus I wouldn't tell you and that is what you are ultimately getting at. Even a blind man can see you are obsessed with him and his relationship with your mother. I want you to get along with him but he is _my_ husband and I will protect him." Hermione threw a couple of galleons on the table to cover her meal and wrapped her daughter in a warm jacket. Ginny stood a few feet from the table and stared with her jaw gaping open as Hermione stalked over to the Three Broomsticks fire and flooed back to her quarters at Hogwarts.

*************************************************************************************

Shortly after Severus' appointment with Harry, he made his way to the Great Hall for a quick, and early, dinner. Afterwards he retreated to his rooms and had a couple of shots of firewhiskey before the quiet and loneliness was too much. He was used to Hermione's incessant chatter and Caris' adorable baby babbling in the evenings and he missed them. Without them there his mind was free to wander to October, and Lily, and Harry. Severus supposed there was some Muggle psychoanalytic term that described his constant mood swings and he wanted to just move on. But he also felt like he had unfinished business to attend to. Severus donned his travelling cloak and using his Headmaster's privileges apparated out of his room.

Severus arrived at his destination with a loud crack but was unconcerned if anyone heard him. Scanning around, he verified that no one in the dark alley had indeed heard him. Severus walked to the street and looked to his left and right once more before continuing on his path. He paused briefly in front of the war memorial and watched as it shifted into a statue of a small family. Ignoring the inscription on the plinth he moved forward. The kissing gate leading into the small graveyard was open and clanking in the breeze. Severus shut it quietly after he passed through and slowed his pace as he wended his way around the graves.

Stopping in front of the marker he'd been looking for, he stared at it for a full minute with tears welling up in his eyes before he finally spoke.

"I'm here, Lily. Finally, after all these years. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner but I could never forgive you for sharing a grave and a marker with James. I know it was selfish of me but I am learning. I of course forgive you for it now, because now I know what it feels like to find your true love, since I have found mine. I thought it was you, but like many other things in my life, I was wrong. You would adore her, your son does. They are best friends and that is part of why I am here. Harry wants to hear all these wonderful stories about you but I can't give them to him because only two things about you are salient with me right now and neither are things he wants to hear.

"Lately when I think about you Lily, all I can think about is how irrevocably in love with you I have been and the fact that you wouldn't forgive me for calling you a Mudblood that one day. I cannot reconcile the two and every time I feel like I am making strides in understanding friendship and love I see Harry and am forcibly reminded of what I might have had and lost with you.

"You see, you were the only friend I ever had that was just that, a friend. Everyone else I knew and had regard for I met through less than pleasant circumstances, such as the Dark Lord, or school, or a marriage law. When you wouldn't forgive me for calling you a Mudblood that one day I was firmly convinced that no such casual friendship can exist, and that you can't be friends with the ones you love because they will only hurt you. You did that to me Lily and as deeply as I loved you all these years, I hated you just as much for tainting the only good thing I had known.

"I have pleaded for your forgiveness over the years endlessly. Begging for some sign that you didn't hate me for giving the prophecy to Voldemort. I know now how ridiculous that really was because I didn't know who the prophecy was about or what he would do with it. But your forgiveness was only half the battle, I needed to forgive you. I just want to say that I do forgive you for not believing in me, and for walking away so easily. Your son refuses to walk away from me, that makes him unlike you and James and I have been treating him rudely purely because of how he reminds me of you. That is not fair to him and I have to stop.

"I always feel lonely and miserable at this time of year because of what happened to you and us. But I want this to be the last time. I _know _this will be the last time. I have an amazing wife, a beautiful daughter, and the fulfilling career that I always dreamed about, and I'm freed from the burdensome occupation of being a war spy. I did all those things without you, and yet at the same time I didn't because my memories of my love for you wouldn't leave me. My love for my new family and my new life is too big and I don't have room enough left in my heart to continue to carry around your unrequited love."

Severus took a deep shaking breath. He couldn't recall ever saying so many words aloud in all of his life, but this speech was a long time coming and all the long talks he'd had with Hermione and Dumbledore that made him feel better about his life didn't compare to how free he felt at that moment. Severus wanted to share this moment with Hermione and he planned to allow her to see the memory soon.

"Does that make me callous, to admit that I am letting you go? Letting go of your friendship along with your words of hatred, which were the last I heard from you? Maybe, but it is the way it must be. Because you see, Lily, this whole time I thought I was making progress, really changing, but I wasn't. I told Hermione a long time ago that my heart wasn't really mine to give and that was because you still had it. But I have to take it back."

Severus conjured a bouquet of lilies and dropped them on top of the grave.

"Goodbye, Lily."

***********************************************************************************

When Severus returned to his rooms it was to see an agitated Hermione trying unsuccessfully to calm Caris, who was screaming on the top of her lungs.

"Oh, Severus, thank goodness you're here. I haven't been able to get her to stop crying since I used the floo to come back from Hogsmeade. She really didn't like it. Where have you been?" Hermione cried desperately pushing Caris into Severus' waiting arms. The baby calmed almost instantly.

"There, there, sweet Caris. It's alright." Severus soothed despite the hoarseness in his throat. "How was dinner? You seem upset."

"It wasn't so great but it's not important. Harry and I had a little spat but it will go away, they always do. Are you ill? You sound hoarse and you look as if you have been in the cold for a long time." Hermione went into the bathroom and retrieved a Pepper Up potion for her husband, which he downed gratefully. Caris giggled loudly as the steam from the potion issued out of Severus' ears.

"I wish I had that special touch you have with her." Hermione commented a little sadly.

"I admit I do spoil her. But I can't help it; I just love her so much." Severus said softly gazing at his baby who was finally calming enough to fall asleep. When Caris' eyelids fluttered closed for the last time and she was truly asleep Severus placed her in her crib and shut her bedroom door. Taking Hermione's hand he led her into their bedroom and placed a silencing charm around the room.

"I love you very much too, Hermione. You really do mean the world to me and I'm sorry if I was rude today." Severus leaned over to wrap his wife in his arms and he kissed her deeply.

Hermione pressed her body against his and murmured some trifle words of acceptance for his apology. She could feel him hardening against her and her own body responded as he started to kiss her neck.

"Mmm, what's gotten into you?" Hermione whispered huskily as Severus used his wand to divest them both of their clothing and continued lavishing her skin with his mouth.

"You, Hermione, and only you. My body, my soul, my heart, belong only to you." Severus said tenderly as he gently laid her on the bed. "I want to make love to you, Hermione."

Hermione moaned with pleasure as her husband's well-practiced hands moved over her aroused body. They made love long into the night and Hermione recognized that Severus was different, freer than he'd ever been as they worshipped each other's bodies with reckless abandon. But in the heat of their passion, neither remembered to cast a contraceptive charm.

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter had quite a bit of Severus purging in it which I really wanted him to do. Sorry if it feels weird and out of place. Based on some comments/reviews/PMs I have been getting regarding this story – If anyone is wondering, Severus is very intentionally OOC. I personally believe we really don't know how he would behave free of a wartime situation and the fact that he is alive at all makes him OOC. So, for those of you who had issues, yes, I am aware he is OOC and I intend him to be that way. I like a snarky Severus that stays moody and secretive but that is not the Severus for Life For Rent. Also it is a very realistic progression for an individual to think they have achieved personal goals just to have some mindless trigger remind them that they really haven't changed as much as they thought which is where Severus is here. I really don't think he has gotten much closure throughout the story but this chapter cleared that right up. Severus finally has closure. Okay, that's done.**

**Thanks so much to my lovely reviewers! Sorry I haven't responded faithfully to reviews for a bit but I am back and in my A-game so if you review I WILL respond, promise! I believe if you take a minute to give me a review, the least I can do is take a minute to acknowledge it!**

**My regular beta whoopsydaisy is off to the Magical Kingdom for a vacay so this chapter was betaed by histoire marveilleuse so thanks a billion to her! I am neglectful with commas and I think she got them all! Thanks for reading and please send me your thoughts!**


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I get paid no money for this or really anything I else I do for that matter

Life For Rent

Chapter 30

"Hey Severus, how was dinner?" Hermione asked her husband as he removed his travelling cloak.

Severus sighed in mock exasperation and flopped down dramatically on the couch. He flung his arm over his forehead and summoned a glass of firewhiskey with the other. "I have so little patience for hysterical women. Narcissa should feel fortunate that she is such a dear friend."

"You would think they would be happy the marriage law was abolished." News of the official abolishment of the law had been announced to the public only a week before. "Or, at the least not care since Draco is already married."

"Hermione that is exactly the problem. As soon as the law was abolished, Draco's lovely bride divested him of his bank account and left him. Therefore Draco sought out her younger sister and divested her of her virginity. It is quite the scandal, one in which I can only pray I am not asked to deal with any further." Severus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I fear that my godson will never change, Hermione, I really do."

"I don't know, he seems much nicer since the war. I mean, we get along fine now." Hermione replied nonchalantly, trying not to laugh at both Draco's deeds and Severus' dramatic reaction.

"It was all a ruse, dear." Severus said looking in Hermione's eyes meaningfully.

"What do you mean a ruse? There was no reason for him to try to trick me. Not that I can think of anyway."

Severus downed his glass of firewhiskey and set the empty glass on the coffee table with a loud thunk. "He got wind of the marriage law before the rest of us apparently because he was seeing the Pureblooded daughter of one of the ministry officials working on the law. He intended to make you _his _intended until he found out we were matched. In a fit of anger I read his mind and saw that it was the truth."

"Oh." Hermione frowned for a moment and then laughed loudly. "You don't think he would have succeeded do you?"

Severus scowled at Hermione. Over the last few weeks he'd made significant strides in controlling his jealousy wherever Hermione was involved and had even behaved more civilly to Potter than ever before, even though Hermione didn't seem to be getting along with him lately

"Well, he is quite a dashing young man."

Hermione snorted again making Severus scowl even further. "Dashing, Severus? There is nothing in the world Draco Malfoy could do to make go near him in that way, _dashing, _or no. No offence, but the idea of being related to the Malfoys kind of makes me want to throw up a little. So any threat there is quite imaginary. In any case, I'm sorry your night out with friends wasn't under more pleasurable circumstances."

"No matter. I have resigned myself to the fact that life will never be just uneventful. In fact, I fear quite the opposite now that I have a family of my own. I believe we will both suffer from a deplorable lack of boredom until our child is grown and we ourselves are infirm." Severus deadpanned before sweeping Hermione into a deep kiss.

"I can live with that, but your deplorable lack of boredom might be short-lived because tomorrow is the final planning meeting for the Halloween ball next weekend. And yes, you have to be there to finalise everything, Severus."

Severus rolled his eyes. "You're right, that is boring. I guess you will just have to make it up to me tonight."

Hermione giggled uncharacteristically as Severus used a simple charm to divest her of all her clothing.

"Shhh, you'll wake Caris." Severus admonished playfully, "Maybe I will have to punish you."

Hermione laughed again and made a beeline for the bedroom silencing the room on her way in, a now naked Severus hot on her heels.

In fact, Hermione had been laughing with Severus a lot over the last few weeks. Ever since his impulsive trip to the graveyard he'd been a new person. He was still sarcastic and snarky but there was an added element of humour. He seemed much happier lately and even smiled a few times in public. Severus had offered to let Hermione see the memory containing his farewell speech to Lily but Hermione had declined stating that it was between him and his old friend. Severus had actually wanted to share the moment with Hermione but was secretly moved that she'd allowed it to stay private. She didn't offer to let him see the memory of her fight with Potter however, and Severus was very interested in that. Hermione had been laughing with Severus but she was quite morose when they weren't together as if she did lose her best friend.

Severus was even being considerably friendlier to Potter and had apologised for his rude outburst. Hermione on the other hand had not apologised and wasn't about to. Severus wasn't going to force the issue but he was sick of seeing Potter look at Hermione like a lost puppy dog all the time. She was being civil to him but not friendly and while Severus still didn't know the details of what had happened he feared intervention was going to be necessary. Harry hadn't come to Severus asking about Hermione at all and to him that was an indicator of something more severe than a spat between friends. Hermione was in a right strop with Harry and was clearly having a difficult time letting it go. Whatever was going on was solely between Harry and Hermione, and Severus assumed that it was Harry's fault because Ginny was perfectly amiable towards Hermione and had visited her frequently over the last few weeks. Severus was regretting ever thinking that Hermione should only have one best friend, him. He was beginning to see how important having more friends truly was.

Later, after Severus and Hermione were satisfied, sated, and very sleepy Severus pressed Hermione for more information.

"Are you still angry with Potter?" Severus asked Hermione's back as he pulled her body close to him. Hermione sighed deeply. "I told you, I'm not angry with him."

"What is it then?" Severus pressed on. He wanted his wife to feel as free of negative relationships as she did so either she needed to get over Harry or patch things because this spat with Potter was actually weighing on him. He never thought there would ever be a time he felt sorry for Potter, but getting a cold shoulder from Hermione was never pleasant.

Hermione yawned widely. "Not now, Severus, I'm tired."

"Fine." Severus replied. He was silent for a few moments and just before he knew she would fall asleep he tried again. "But what does Potter have to do to get you to be friendly with him again?"

"He has to apologise." Hermione said sleepily before waking up a little and flipping over to face Severus. "You tricked me. You knew I would answer because I was falling asleep."

"What does he have to apologise for?" Severus said not even attempting to hide his satisfaction that he'd manipulated her so successfully.

Hermione rolled back over and closed her eyes again. "Not going to work. I'm tired Severus and I have a stomach ache, if I promise to tell you tomorrow will you let me sleep?"

"Yes, but you have a stomach ache? Do you need anything?" Severus asked concernedly.

"I'm fine, just a little crampy."

"Ah, I see, it is around that time, is it not?" Severus replied finally letting his own tiredness overtake him.

"Mm, yeah. That must be it."

*************************************************************************************

The next morning Severus visited with Poppy in the infirmary to collect a couple of potions for Hermione's cramps because she was still looking a little peaky in the morning. Poppy fussed over Caris for awhile whom Severus had brought along, declaring her ready to start eating solid foods and that she was teething. Severus was relieved to hear that she was teething because she was crying a lot lately and he hoped she wasn't getting colicky. Poppy fussed about Caris for quite some time before Severus almost had to yank the baby out of her arms.

"Poppy, I really must be going I have a meeting with the Halloween Ball committee to attend and after that I am going to visit with Potter." Severus said.

The Mediwitch frowned as she scrutinised the tall wizard closely. "You have been awfully cheerful lately, are you sure you aren't ill?"

"Of course I'm not ill. I am perfectly healthy." Severus replied nonplussed. "It is a crime to allow oneself to appear in a pleasant mood?"

Poppy harrumphed loudly. "It is a crime when that person is you. Are you sure you aren't drinking a little too much or Hermione isn't blasting you with Cheering Charms every chance she gets? Those are legitimate diagnostic questions, Severus."

"Enough, you crazed witch. I am quite alright." Severus said sharply turning on his heel to storm out the door; Caris' happy gurgling contrasting heavily with Severus' quick change of demeanour.

Poppy smiled widely as Severus exited the hospital wing, "Now I believe you are alright!" She called after him. When Severus was out Poppy's sight he smiled too and lifted his baby so that her face was directly in front of his. A large bubble of drool popped on her mouth and she babbled as she reached out to grab Severus' nose with one of her tiny hands.

"I kind of like how the new me is confusing everyone. This could be fun." Severus said to his baby before planting a large kiss on her cheek and continuing back down the hall.

*************************************************************************************

"Potter, what is going on between you and Hermione?" Severus asked bluntly after the meeting about the ball. Severus had mostly just nodded along approving of everything the Head Boy and Girl had presented. He was quite confident that some liquor would make its way into the punch and several students would spend quite a few lonely nights in detention after being caught with their knickers down. Severus would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to freely handing out detentions. For him that would be the best part of the Halloween Ball, and perhaps the Slytherin versus Gryffindor Quidditch match that would take place on the same day.

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair for without saying anything. After a moment he picked up an ornately detailed letter opener off of his Severus' desk and examined it closely. It was silver with the Slytherin crest on the handle. Hermione'd given it to him and he was quite fond of it. Severus reached across the desk and plucked it out of Harry's hand.

"I thought you wanted to talk about my work performance." Harry replied finally.

Severus picked up a file from a pile on his desk and fished a parchment out of it. Once he found what he was looking for he unceremoniously dropped it in front of Harry.

"There's your monthly evaluation. I grudgingly admit that your performance is adequate. You can read that on your own time. Now, I repeat, what did you do to Hermione?" Severus stated calmly.

"_I_ didn't do anything to her; she's the one who's angry. Besides I figured you both had a good laugh over what she did at dinner that night. She won't let it go. I mean she's talking to me but it's really formally as if we aren't that close so I give up." Harry reached for paper on the desk and folded down a corner but he didn't read it.

"Well, she didn't tell me what happened and only admitted last night that she was waiting for an apology but I don't know what for. With you, I imagine it could be a number of things but since you give up..." Severus said.

Harry frowned at the slight and bit back a sarcastic retort. "I highly doubt all she wants is in apology."

Severus sighed in exasperation. He really didn't care about Harry's feelings in the matter but he wanted Hermione to be happy with her friends and that was important to Severus so he pushed away his comments regarding Harry's childishness and got up to retrieve Dumbledore's old Pensieve from the cabinet.

"Show me what happened and perhaps I can help you." Severus said placing the stone bowl on his desk.

Harry eyed it warily for a moment. "Why are you so interested? Why do you even care if Hermione and I aren't friends anymore?"

"Because I care about her, you idiot. As much as I detest listening to her blabber on about you it is quite obvious that she misses you. Why, I have no idea but it is not up to me to decide what makes my wife happy, but I do feel it is my responsibility to make sure she receives the things that do." Severus snapped and then after a pause added, "And I do think it is important to have friends that really understand you."

Harry threw up his hands in frustration. "That's just it! I don't really _know_ Hermione. I never appreciated her and I was always quick to abandon her when I disagreed with her. I've given her the silent treatment more times than I can count and it was always over really dangerous stuff that she was right about! She's right to not want to be friends with me anymore too. I don't deserve her loyalty. I've done absolutely nothing to earn it. She admitted that the only reason why she put up with all my crap was because she had no one else but now she does. She has you, and Ginny, and Caris, and her parents are back. She doesn't need me anymore."

"No, she doesn't need you to be her friend anymore." Severus deadpanned.

Harry crumpled his evaluation as his temper rose. "I just said that. Of course _you_ would agree."

"Oh do stop whining, Potter. She _wants_ to be your friend and that is completely different. It's not often that a person like Hermione desires things beyond what she already has. If you don't know that about her then perhaps she is right. But no matter, I don't need to see the memory." Severus stood up and placed the bowl back in its cabinet. "I have enough information to get on with. Hermione was right, this will resolve itself on its own. Forgive me interfering."

Harry stared at Severus in confusion for a full minute before shaking his head. "That was the strangest conversation I think we have ever had. You're so _different._"

"As opposed to?" Severus new full well that he was different but he was curious as to what kind of explanation that Harry would give him.

Harry shrugged, "I don't know, the greasy git, bat of the dungeons. Although, no one can really call you 'greasy' anymore. Hey! Do you use that shampoo they keep advertising in Witch Weekly?"

If Severus was the blushing type he would have gone scarlet. "I do not desire to speak with you about my hygiene habits."

"Right. Interesting stuff though, that shampoo. Prevents your hair from getting greasy no matter what's going on. Ginny says that her hair stays perfect even through the worst day of Quidditch. Fred and George want it in their shop. That would make some serious galleons."

"Potter," Severus said sharply, "How did we even begin this conversation?"

Mentally, however, Severus was calculating how much he could earn if he moved his product beyond mail order. With that kind of gold his daughter's future would be quite secure.

"Get out of my office, Potter."

*************************************************************************************

A week later, Hermione and Ginny went shopping for new dress robes to wear to the Halloween ball. Severus had given the whole school the afternoon off on the Friday before because the whole castle was in an uproar over the coming Quidditch match on top of the festivities. McGonagall had been known to give the students off the afternoon before a Quidditch match in order to allow the teams an extra long practise each the day before. Severus saw no reason to discontinue the newfound tradition, particularly since the students already had very long hours in class, and he wanted Slytherin to cream Gryffindor. He even bet Potter fifty galleons that they would. He was more than happy to let Hermione off with Ginny so he could take Caris down to the pitch and watch his old house practise.

Hermione and Ginny met at Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions in Hogsmeade and both of them picked out found something really great to wear to the ball but Ginny was in a bit of a mood and Hermione could not help but feel that she was the cause of it. Hermione and Ginny went to the Hogshead to say hello to Aberforth Dumbledore and for tea and it wasn't long before Ginny let out a large exasperated sigh.

"Hermione, when are you going to be friends with Harry again?" She practically whined.

"We are friends, Ginny." Hermione replied.

"No you aren't. All he does is complain that you are being cold to him and I can't even talk about stuff we do together because he doesn't want to hear it. Admit, you are treating him differently and you know it." Ginny stated plainly.

Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Fine, I admit it. It's just that I don't know if he really gets it."

"I think he understood plainly why you were angry. You know that I think you were justified in what you said to him but he misses you. Despite what you think he really does value your friendship above all others. He says that he apologised, what else do you want?" Ginny asked.

Hermione thought about what she wanted to say and even though she knew it was going to sound selfish she said it anyway because it was honest. "I want him to tell me that he values my friendship above all others, besides yours of course. I know he's apologised but sometimes I wonder if he even really knows what he's apologising for. I am _always_ the one who patches things up even when he's the one at fault and this time I won't do it. I need to know that he really respects my friendship. It seemed like the minute he realised I was going to Severus more he got jealous or something."

"He does care, and he does value your friendship!" Ginny said indignantly.

"I _know,_ Gin. It's just, I can't even explain it. It was like I just need to hear it from him, that's all. Tell me the truth, is he waiting for me to just let it go and warm back up to him so that things will go back to normal?" Hermione asked looking at Ginny hard encouraging her not to lie.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, it won't work this time and I don't care if you think I'm being childish. As soon as he has something more to say than 'I'm sorry you got angry,' I will be more than happy to listen. And you better not tell him, he needs to figure this out on his own." Hermione closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, "I hope he hurries. I really miss him."

"If you miss him so much, why don't you just talk to him again and let it go?"

Hermione's eyes remained closed for another moment before she opened them and looked straight into her friend's eyes sadly, "I don't know, Ginny. I just can't"

Ginny didn't say anything for a minute. She just looked back at Hermione and noted the sadness there. She really did miss Harry and as much Ginny wished it weren't true, only Harry could fix it. And she would respect Hermione's wishes and not tell Harry what Hermione wanted to hear. But she would tell him that she was ready to talk.

************************************************************************************

Later that night after Hermione had hung up her new robes and put Caris to bed, she threw up. She was feeling fine one minute and the next Severus was holding her hair back as she heaved what felt like the entire week's contents into the bowl.

"Are you alright?" Severus asked as she finished heaving.

Hermione sat on the floor in front of the toilet and wiped her teary and sweaty face. "Yes, Severus. I worship a porcelain god and I was just making an offering."

"Very funny. You weren't feeling well last night either, are you sure you're okay?"

Hermione slowly pulled herself up and rinsed out her mouth. She was feeling much better but she avoided looking into Severus' eyes. "Yeah, I'm really okay. It must have been something I ate at the Hog's Head today."

"Probably." Severus replied quietly, but he wasn't so sure. He'd actually caught Hermione throwing up four of the last seven evenings and she was beginning to look different. Not in an obvious sort of way, just different. He could in fact, remember one other time when she looked that way but he refused to consider it. It was just too soon. Maybe she was just sick and part of the reason why she was being so moody with Harry was because she really didn't feel well. She'd been giving a lot of detentions lately as well, so… Severus shook his head. He wasn't going to think about it.

"Well, if you are sure you're alright, let's get some sleep. You have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Whatever, you just want to be refreshed for the Quidditch match." Hermione laughed.

Severus shrugged innocently. "What can I say, I have a lot of money on this game!"

*************************************************************************************

**A/N: Okay, so things are winding down again. This story is going to end soon for real this time. I do have a lovely little idea I got from a plot bunny (you know who you are) about writing a short story later on about Caris as an older student growing up in the castle and being the daughter of the headmaster, yada yada yada. So, I have never really considered writing an other character or next generation story but I might do this one. **

**Thank you, my lovelies, for reading this story. It was just a bit of mindless fluff that kind of took off and I am so happy that so many of you found it worth sticking with. Thanks so much for all the reviews and support. You all rock!**

**My beta whoopsydaisy, bless her heart, she was in Disneyland is back and in full swing! Whoot**

**Please review and have a lovely day!**


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter

Life For Rent

Chapter 31

"Hermione!" Ginny called whilst banging on the bathroom door. "What are you doing? It's time to go!"

Hermione cancelled the one way silencing charm that prevented anyone from hearing her in the bathroom just after she splashed her face and rinsed her mouth. She quickly fixed her hair and makeup with her wand, put a smile on her face, and threw open the bathroom door to greet her friend.

"I was just finishing my hair." She said nonchalantly, "I was expecting to meet you downstairs."

Ginny just shrugged and tugged on Hermione's dress. "This looks even better on you today than it did in the shop. You're filling out the top better. Did you adjust it?"

Hermione bit back a sardonic laugh and just nodded. "I made some changes," _in the size of my breasts. _

"Well, you look fantastic. Severus and Harry are waiting in the living room so we can all go down together."

"Okay, let me just kiss Caris good night and I will be right there."

Hermione snuck into her daughter's bedroom where Winky was showing the baby a picture book, and said goodnight to her daughter. She felt another wave of nausea but after standing still for a moment, was able to hold it down.

"Is you alright?" Winky asked Hermione.

Hermione smiled at the elf widely just as she had Ginny and headed to the living room. Harry was the first person to see Hermione enter and he offered her a warm but tentative smile.

"You look really great, Hermione." He said a little quietly. Hermione was not surprised that he was talking to her. It was a hardly a coincidence that he would try to be extra polite to her just days after Hermione told Ginny what it would take to get her to speak to him again. Severus turned around to face Hermione after he heard Harry greet her. His eyes lingered overlong on her chest and Hermione saw a little bit of desire, and a little bit of something entirely unidentifiable flash in his eyes before he approached her.

"Normally, I would have to make a sarcastic comment about Potter stating the obvious, but I think tonight you deserve to hear it twice. You really do look stunning tonight, my love." Severus purred into her ear.

Ginny was beaming at the couple and her enthusiasm made Hermione laugh. "Thank you, both. Shall we?"

Hermione linked her arm in Severus' and allowed him to lead her to the Great Hall so that her mind could wander. She thought back to the first of October, only thirty days earlier, and the wonderful night that she'd shared with her husband. For the life of her, Hermione could not remember any other night when they had forgotten to use contraception charms, but according to the diagnostic spell she'd cast earlier that day she was already eight weeks pregnant with her second child, which means that she conceived the first week of term, when Caris was only three months old. She recalled having a very light monthly in September but had chalked it up to nerves and being busy. It did however, explain the morning, or in this case, evening sickness because she was already far enough along to start experiencing it.

The hallways and staircases passed in a blur as Hermione thought about what Severus might do when he found out she was pregnant again. They hadn't even discussed having a second child at all let alone one that would be born exactly one year after the first. Hermione felt a wave of nausea that had nothing to do with morning sickness pass through her stomach and she stiffened at Severus' side.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

Hermione smiled up at him and nodded. She was shocked to find that they'd already reached the Great Hall. Kids were milling about pointing at the decorations and rushing back and forth between friends to talk. In the middle of the room, some clever students had hung a Slytherin banner advertising their win from earlier that day.

Severus laughed at the banner and pointed it out to Harry. "You still owe me fifty galleons, Potter."

Harry fished in his pocket for a small bag and Severus plucked it ceremoniously out of his outstretched hand. Several students had seen the Headmaster arrive and were watching the exchange with interest.

"So much for not showing House favouritism." Harry said jokingly.

"I wasn't betting on the House, per se, I was betting on the team, and I chose the right one." Severus replied quietly.

"Does that mean you're going to bet on Hufflepuff for the win against Ravenclaw at the next match?" Harry asked.

Severus quickly did a run through in his mind of the players on the Hufflepuff team. "I just might. Now stop talking about this, I don't want the students to know that is why you are handing over galleons."

Severus and Harry walked ahead of Hermione and Ginny to the Head table still squabbling about which House had the better Quidditch team and recapping the game from earlier that day. Hermione took the opportunity to yank on Ginny's arm to hold her back.

"I need to talk to you." Hermione said a little more forcefully than she'd intended.

Ginny pulled her arm back indignantly. "I didn't tell Harry to tell you anything!"

Hermione looked at Ginny with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Ginny returned the look with equal abashment. "What are _you _talking about?"

"Not Harry." Hermione pulled Ginny further way from the centre of the room but was stopped by the Head Girl and a few of her friends.

"Good evening, professor Snape. You look lovely tonight. You too, Mrs. Potter." They all chorused. And so it went for the next twenty minutes or so before every student was seated for the feast. Hermione had to fight back annoyance at all the interruptions because she'd really wanted to talk to Ginny about being pregnant. She was desperate to tell someone and besides Severus, Ginny was the only person she wanted to tell. She didn't even know how her mother was going to take the news. They thought Caris had come too soon, even if they did love her and spoil her rotten.

"Okay, now what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Ginny whispered into Hermione's ear as they settled in at their table.

Hermione glanced over at Severus who was watching her intently, a slight frown furrowing his brows. She then glanced at Harry on Ginny's other side who was also paying close attention. Hermione had to actively force her eyes to keep from rolling at Ginny's horrible lack of timing. She had to ask when everyone at the table was quiet and listening in, didn't she? Ginny also recognised her gaffe and quickly recovered.

"Was it about that shopping trip you wanted to plan? Because we never did settle on a date for that." Ginny said almost without missing a beat.

"Yes, you know me, Gin, never too early to start thinking about Christmas." Harry was immediately diverted by his food completely uninterested in listening to the women plan a shopping trip. Severus, however, was not so easily distracted.

He leaned in close to Hermione and whispered in her ear. "I think you and I need to talk about your shopping trip before you discuss it with Ginny."

Hermione tensed as he looked into her eyes knowingly. She couldn't read his expression entirely but it was quite obvious that he wasn't buying the whole shopping trip farce. Hermione should have known he would have figured it out already and would be disappointed if she didn't go to him first with the news. Hermione immediately felt horrible about even thinking that she would tell someone else before him. She looked back at Severus apologetically but he just patted her on the leg and turned toward his dinner. Hermione suddenly realised she was ravenous and followed his lead.

Ginny went ahead with the whole shopping trip story, apparently thinking it was a good idea and by the time dinner was finished and couples had started dancing, a whole weekend in London was planned.

Hermione and Severus both danced the first dance saying very little. Severus held Hermione close and made a few comments about Hagrid's giant floating pumpkins, and the students, but he didn't bring up anything else. Hermione was absolutely positive that he knew she was pregnant but she was unwilling to broach the topic either. Instead she allowed him to pull her close and savoured the rare moment of public affection that he was displaying. Just before the song ended he brushed his lips gently on her temple. Hermione felt butterflies in her already tumultuous stomach at the unexpected gesture.

"I love you, Hermione." He whispered before breaking away from her as a fast song started and Ginny grabbed her, encouraging her to dance with her students. Severus just smiled and waved her on before walking away. Hermione felt even guiltier after his declaration of love. She couldn't believe she almost told Ginny before him and now he knew, and it was as if he was actively trying to make her feel bad about it. Hermione shook that thought out of her head; Severus would never stoop that low.

Severus retreated to the Head table and sat down beside Harry who was having a very animated discussion about the Quidditch match with Madame Hooch. The pair didn't even acknowledge him as he sat down which was just as well because his attention was otherwise engaged. He schooled his face into a blank expression but inside he was churning with passion and adoration for his wife. He did know that she wanted to talk to Ginny about being pregnant and it did hurt a little that she wasn't going to tell him first. He was shamelessly unrepentant about requesting that she speak to him first. He figured as the father of the baby and her husband he deserved that much. He was not angry with her about it though and he looked forward to the talk just so he could tell her how happy he was.

He loved his daughter so much that he found himself imagining another child very shortly after she was born. Of course he expected it to be a few years down the road but it was quite easy for him to look at the situation from a new perspective. He was almost two full decades older than Hermione, and while wizards lived a very long time he was in a bit more of a rush to complete his family than Hermione ideally would be. It was definitely early and it had taken a couple of weeks for the shock and denial to wear off but he was definitely pleased. As he watched his beautiful wife laugh and dance with her friend and some of the younger students he envisioned her body larger and rounder again. He always loved her body but he'd especially appreciated it when she thought she was the fattest and ugliest. Severus had revelled in the roundness of her belly and the miracle of life inside of her.

The music slowed once more and Severus made to stand up and approach Hermione again when he was stopped by Harry.

"Severus, do you mind if I ask Hermione to dance?" He asked hopefully.

"Be my guest." Severus said gesturing ahead of him. Harry thanked him and shuffled off towards Hermione nervously.

Ginny nudged Hermione and pointed to Harry who was approaching them on the dance floor. Ginny ran up to Harry and wrapped her arms around him. Harry looked at his wife apologetically.

"I love you, Gin, but I actually wanted to see if Hermione would dance with me for this one." Harry switched his gaze to Hermione, one eyebrow raised hopefully.

Ginny smiled and pushed Hermione forward. "Of course, I don't mind, and neither do you right, Hermione?"

"Of course not." Hermione allowed Harry to take her hand and lead her away from the large crowd in the centre of the dance floor to a spot on the edge that was a little less populated with couples.

"I've missed you, Hermione." Harry said immediately.

Hermione sighed, "Harry…"

"No, Hermione. Please just let me talk. And before you ask, nobody told me to say what I'm going to say. I did talk to Severus, but I pretty much got here on my own." He stopped talking to wait for some sort of signal from Hermione letting him know she wanted him to continue. After a moment she nodded.

"Hermione, I know I was angry with you for saying what you did in Hogsmeade that day, but you were right and my behaviour after that day proved your point. I'm really, truly, very sorry, and I don't know how but I want to make it up to you. The only thing I can think of to do is tell you I'm sorry for every time I've done this to you."

"Done what, exactly?" Hermione asked really pleased that Harry was telling her all the things that she needed to hear from him, without any help from anyone, regardless of how selfish that made her feel.

"Just waited for our friendship to somehow magically patch itself up after I stopped speaking to you for awhile. Believe me; it took me awhile to get here. I spent hours rehashing every time we weren't speaking for one reason or another trying to find a time when it was your fault. I got mad at you when you reported my Firebolt, but that was the right thing to do. I was quick to ignore you again when Ron stopped being mad at me during the Triwizard Tournament. I got angry with you when you tried to keep me sensible when I was having those visions during fifth year and you were right about that. I did it again when we were hunting for Horcruxes and you were trying to keep me focussed on them instead of the Hallows. I needed the Hallows but I almost gave up on the Horcruxes for them and you helped me with that. I really did blame you for my broken wand and I am truly sorry about that because you saved my life that night."

Harry paused to read Hermione's expression. She had tears in her eyes and as he watched one of them spilled over. Harry quietly brushed it away with his thumb.

"I really don't know what else to say, other than that I know you better than you think I do. Or at least I hope I do. I know that your favourite colour is green, and that your favourite dessert is chocolate covered strawberries. I know that if you weren't teaching you would want to own a bookstore. I even admit that those are all things I learned about you after you got back from Australia and Ron left to play Quidditch. I also know some things about you when we were younger too. I know that without you I never would have passed any of my classes, that you were devoted to Hagrid just because he was my friend. I know that you used to cry in the bathroom when Malfoy would tease you all the way through fifth year."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat at the last comment. She didn't think anyone knew about that.

"I know that I love you, Hermione. The only people in the world I love differently than you are my wife and kids. And that's like I said, just different. You are a part of my family and I really truly regret thinking that you would just come around. We haven't really spoken for a month, Hermione. We communicated more than that when you were in Australia and I swear that I will never take advantage of you again." Harry had tears in his eyes as well as he finished his speech and he waited for Hermione to say something.

Without realising it they had somehow worked their way to a bench at the edge of the room and sat down. Hermione was crying freely and she wiped at her tears quickly.

"I can't believe I'm crying. After that speech, Harry, I feel really horrible for wanting to hear it so badly. I was so selfish."

"Hermione, no! You aren't going to turn this around and take the blame for any of this. Sometimes you have to be selfish with your feelings. I know I've done it enough. You remember what I was like during fifth year and beyond. It was something you needed to get off your chest and as much as it hurt, I'm glad you did." Harry leaned over and wrapped Hermione in a big hug which she reciprocated gratefully.

"I'm still sorry for snubbing you for so long."

"I said no apologies, Hermione. It looks like our significant others are looking for us." Harry pointed off to his right where Ginny was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, clearly ecstatic that they had made up. Severus was nearby watching them as well but he had a forced look of disinterest on his face.

Hermione quickly hugged Harry again. "Thanks for everything, Harry. I really needed this talk with you."

"I know." Harry pulled her up from the bench and led her over to Ginny who could barely contain her excitement. She gave Hermione a big hug and squealed.

"I am so happy for you!"

The last part came out just as the song ended and everybody within a thirty feet radius heard her, loud and clear, just like at the dinner table earlier. Ginny clamped a hand over her mouth giggling and the room filled with noise again as the next song started. Severus, however, joined the group in a few quick strides. If they were talking about what he thought they were talking about he was going to be very upset for being left out.

Ginny continued without hesitation. "I was afraid you two weren't going to be on speaking terms forever!"

Severus relaxed visibly but only Hermione noticed. She quickly grabbed his hand.

"Harry and I made up. We had a really nice talk." Hermione found the excitement in her voice to be quite genuine.

"Splendid. I daresay it won't be long before I am hoping you fight again. It was rather nice not listening to stories about Harry Potter all day and night." Severus said sarcastically but the corners of his mouth were turned up and he looked happy for Hermione.

"Hermione," Severus continued ignoring Harry's scowl, "come with me please."

Hermione waved goodbye to Harry and Ginny and went with Severus as he led her up to the Astronomy tower. She looked at him in wonder. He had never brought her up there before and as far as she knew he had not gone up there since the night Dumbledore died.

Hermione approached the wall and leaned against it, looking up. Severus came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, warming her. Hermione leaned her head back against his chest and continued to look at the stars.

"When I was a kid I was afraid of the stars and the night sky." Hermione said quietly.

"What? Why?" Severus replied just as quietly.

Hermione sighed deeply and savoured the cool night air. "We used to go camping when I was little and my dad and I would lie down and look up at the night sky. Since there were no lights around you could see thousands more stars than in our backyard. I was afraid of how big the sky was and I would imagine that I could actually feel the earth moving underneath me. I was terrified of being lost amongst all those stars, disoriented and out of control, while the world went on without me."

Severus squeezed Hermione tighter. "And now?"

"I think if I were to look long enough I would still feel that terrifying expansiveness."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, not really. I mean, I really felt vulnerable but I don't regret feeling that way. I think it was a really safe environment for me to feel vulnerable in. Does that make sense to you?" Hermione asked, guessing that Severus thought she was out of her mind.

"I suppose. Although I don't believe there is any harm in being the only person to truly understand how you feel about some things." Severus ran a hand gently across her neck and turned her head so he could bend down and kiss her softly.

"Hmm, that was nice." Hermione breathed.

"This is the first time I've come up here since that night."

Hermione wanted to turn around to see his face but she restrained herself and waited to see if he had anything else to say.

"I truly believed that he took my soul with him. I know better now."

"How do you know? I mean, I know better too, but what was it that made you realise?"

Severus chuckled softly. "You mean besides you? I don't really know. I think it was when I decided to make shampoo. I realised that day that I had a future, at the time I was thinking more along the lines of enterprising and not of love, but it hit me that as bleak as it was, I was free to live my life as I chose. I think that is when the healing process really began. I like to think that you were my reward for realising that."

"I can live with that." Hermione said happily.

"And then Caris came along and I didn't think it could get any better." He said softly as he placed his palm on Hermione's belly, "But I was wrong. It does get better."

Hermione gasped as Severus bent down to kiss her neck.

"I am really happy, Hermione. I know it is a little soon after Caris but that doesn't matter. We have a good life here, and we will make it work. I like the idea of Caris having a sibling to grow up in the castle with."

Hermione felt the tears welling up in her eyes for the second time that night. Severus turned her around so that he could face her.

"Why are you crying?" He said laughing a little.

Hermione let out a sound that was a cross between a sob and a laugh. "I was afraid you would be upset. It wasn't planned and Caris is so little, and our new jobs…"

Severus cut her off with a searing kiss. "Hermione, my love, we have come so far, covered so much ground in such a short amount of time. Over the last few years we have faced all of our demons and confronted our pasts just to pave the way for our future. This is a good thing; this will be easy compared to that because it is welcome."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her. "I love it when you're right."

"I always am. Would you think I was horribly crass if I said I wanted to know what it is before it's born this time?"

Hermione looked up at him. "Of course not. We can find out right now."

"May I do the honours?"

Hermione nodded and stepped back from Severus so he could pull his wand from his sleeve. He pointed it down at her stomach.

"Ostendo sum infantia."

A white tendril of smoke curled out of his wand to form a word.

Severus shoved his wand back in his sleeve and lifted Hermione into a hug kissing her deeply.

"Let's go tell Caris the good news." He said as he apparated them right into her bedroom.

Winky who had fallen asleep in the rocking chair woke with a jolt.

"Shhh," She admonished, "you'll wake the baby."

"You may go, Winky. Thank you for helping tonight." Severus dismissed Winky politely as he approached Caris' crib with Hermione right behind. He reached out a hand and touched the sleeping child's face.

"She's so angelic when she's sleeping, Severus. Please don't wake her."

Severus leaned over close to his daughter and whispered quietly. "I'm not supposed to wake you, and I guess that does not matter since you can't understand me anyway, but I just wanted to tell you that you're going to be a big sister. Right around your birthday as a matter of fact."

Hermione smiled widely at how adorable Severus was in his excitement. His smooth velvety voice lulling the baby into a deeper sleep just as it aroused Hermione. She bent over the crib and kissed Caris on the cheek.

"Yes, and for your first birthday, you're going to get a little brother."

*******************************_**The End**_*********************************************

**A/N: So, I guess this is goodbye, (brushes away a tear) for this story anyway. Thanks so much to all of you readers who set this story on alert and favourites and reviewed. Some of you reviewed almost every chapter and that is awesome!**

**I have another new story started called Liberation, it is a Dramione so if you like those, that one has three chapters posted. I am definitely taking more care with grammar etc., for that one because it is planned and outlined. I admit I was a little careless with this fic because I was just winging it, but you all read it nonetheless and I couldn't be happier about that.**

**I am going to start my next SS/HG story soon as well, but that one is going to be a major undertaking so I don't know exactly when it's going to get started.**

**I had a cute little plot bunny come visit with the idea of writing a short little something about Caris as an older student talking about being the daughter of Severus and Hermione and growing up in Hogwarts. If anyone thinks that is something worth doing let me know. I admit I really don't have a good idea of what kinds of stories besides SS/HG and Dramiones that have a lot of readers. **

**Everybody needs to check out my beta whoopsydaisy's fic Uncharmable!**

**Thanks again for reading and please review! It's the last chapter I'm sure you all have some closing thoughts!**


End file.
